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BUSINESS 
CORRESPONDENCE 


,  CORRESPONDENCE  ENGLISH 

BUSINESS  LETTER  WRITING  CUSTOMS 
FILES  AND  SYSTEMS 
WRITING  EFFECTIVE  BUSINESS  LETTERS 


.♦  J  J  •• 


A.  W.  SHAW  COMPANY 

CHICAGO  NEW   YORK 

LONDON 


1916 


''$^ 


Copyright,  1908.  by 
The  System  Company 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall  in  Great  Britain,   190D   by 
The  System  Company 

Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  the  Parliament  of 

Canada,  in  the  ytar  U>09.  by  The  System  Comp»aiy  at 

the  Department  of  Agriculture 


Entered   according   to  the  Act  of  Parliament  of  the 

United  Commonwealth  of  Australia  in  the  year  1000,  by 

The  System  Comjmny 

Copyright  in  Germany,  1009,  by  llie  System  Company 

Copyright  in  France,  1009,  by  The  System  Company 

Copyright  in  Mexico.  1000,  by  The  System  Company 


Under  the  Title 

"The  Business  Man's  Library" — Vol.  11 

(Trade  rail rk  Registered) 


PREFACE 

The  business  man  who  sees  the  sure  result  of  a 
satisfactorily-handled  letter  naturally  wants  to  know 
'^how  it  is  done."  Many  books  are  in  existence  which 
give  a  great  deal  of  information  about  certain  essentials 
of  letter-writing,  but  there  has  always  seemed  to  be 
lacking  in  most  of  these  works  the  specific  directions 
which  a  broad  business  man  needs  to  produce  a  well- 
written  letter. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  more  common 
details  and  essentials  need  be  given  much  space,  for 
that  is  not  what  is  demanded.  Rather,  about  the  essen- 
tials should  be  grouped  such  facts  as  experience  has 
taughc  those  who  are  in  touch  with  business  conditions 
are  the  broad  truths,  the  large  views  of  this  important 
science. 

This,  indeed,  is  the  aim  of  the  entire  Business  Men^s 
Library,  of  which  this  is  the  second  volume. 

Part  I,  "The  Principles  and  Factors  of  the  Art  of 
Correspondence,"  takes  up  in  its  initial  chapters  the 
general  underlying  factors,  these  becoming  more  spe- 
cific until  Part  II,  "Correspondence  in  the  Various 
Departments  of  Business,"  is  reached.  Here  depart- 
mental correspondence  is  treated  in  detail.  Beginning 
with  the  form  letter  which  initiates  a  sale,  and  continu- 
ing  through  the  various  departments  which  make  use 
of  the  written  communication,  there  will  be  found  that 
specific  information  which  has  built  many  a  business 
from  the  smallest  of  small  beginnings  to  industrial 
enterprises  whose  fame  is  world-wide. 

Part  III,  "System  in  Handling  Correspondence" 
5 


358043 


6  PREFACE 

details  follow-up  and  filing  methods  replete  with  exact 
information  and  suggestions  adaptable  to  the  business 
just  starting  or  the  one  handling  thousands  of  com- 
munications daily. 

All  this  it  is  trusted  makes  up  a  composite,  at 
planned  and  executed  as  to  inspire  not  only  the  am- 
bitious correspondent  but  as  well  the  man  of  affairs, 
who,  because  he  has  succeeded,  is  none  the  less  open  tc 
counsel  and  suggestion. 

THE  EDITOR. 


CONTENTS 


Part    I— THE    PRINCIPLES    AND    FACTORS    OP    CORRE 
SPONDENCE 

Chapter                                                                                Pagb 
I.    First  Principles  of  Good  Business  Correspond- 
ence      11 

William  Clendenin 

II.    The  Tone  and  Key  op  Correspondence 24 

Forrest  Crissey 

in.    The  Mechanical  Make-up  op  the  Letter 29 

Glenn  S.  Noble 

IV.    Courtesies  and  Customs  op  Letter  Writing 47 

L.  P.  Huffaker 

V.    Business  Stationery 56 

Kendall  Banning 

VI.    Correspondence  English 60 

B.  C.  Bean 


Part  II— DEPARTMENTAL  CORRESPONDENCE 

Vn.    The  Form  Letter 85 

C.  A.  Burt 

VIII.    The  Business-Getting  Form  Letter 98 

P.  W.  Lennen 

DC.    Complaint  Correspondence 110 

S.  S.  Smith 

X.    Sales  Correspondenca 124 

George  B.  Spencer 
XI.    Correspondence  as  an  Adjunct  to  the  Salesman.  129 
G.  D.  Ford 

XII.    Wholesaling  by  Maii^ 135 

P.  C.  Dolard 

Xni.    The  Collection  Lettbr 149 

C.  A.  Ransom 
XIV.    Interhouse    and    Interdepartmbnt    Correspon- 
dence   166 

C.  A.  Burt 
Henry  W.  Belfield 
Kendall  Banning 

7 


D£ 

i 


8 


CONTENTS 


Part  III— SYSTEM  IN  HANDLING  CORRESPONDENCE 


Chapter  Page 

XV.    The  Use  and  Operation  of  the  Follow-up 185 

C.  C.  Parsons,  of  the  Shaw- Walker  Company 
XVI.     A  Follow-up  System  for  the  Manufacturer..  .  194 
C.  C.  Parsons,  of  the  Shaw- Walker  Company 
XVII.    A  Subject  Index  for  Filing  Correspondence.  . .  200 
E.  T.  Page,  Pres.  and  Sec.,  Page-Davis  Co. 

XVIII.    Filing  and  Following  up  Correspondence 206 

P.  A.  Wetzel 

XIX     A  System  for  Handling  Correspondence 211 

Committee  of  Experts 


PART  I 

THE  PRINCIPLES  AND  FACTORS 
OF  CORRESPONDENCE 


CHAPTER  I 

FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  GOOD  BUSINESS  COR- 
RESPONDENCE 

BY  WILLIAM   CLENDBNIN 

Is  letter- writing  a  lost  art?  The  press  of  the  whole 
country  has  taken  up  this  question  and  turned  it  into  a 
live  subject  of  discussion. 

Business  men  and  mercantile  interests  are  natur- 
ally the  first  to  profit  by  this  agitation,  for  the  Ameri- 
can people  are  a  commercial  people  and  whatever 
touches  the  nerves  of  a  business  organism  has  the  right 
of  way  clear  through  to  the  head-center,  where  the  man 
at  the  heart  of  things  does  the  deciding.  It's  a  mana- 
ger's question,  a  vital  one. 

Business  correspondence  has  many  sides,  many 
varying  viewpoints — different  styles  of  composition — 
different  stationery — different  phases  of  the  same  prop- 
osition— but  all  looking  alike  to  the  same  end — results, 
orders,  sales,  dollars.  And  it  is  these  basic  principles 
— the  things  to  do  and  the  reasons  why — and  the  main 
rules — the  general  orders — which  constitute  the  real 
subject  when  a  business  man  sits  down  to  study  it  out. 

In  the  regular  run  of  business  letters  it  is  the  first 
one  in  the  series — the  opening  gun — that  makes  or 
The  Two  mars  the  success  of  the  attempt.     This 

Basic  first  letter  from  a  firm  is  like  the  going- 

Elements  coupon  of  a  return  trip  ticket — void  if  de- 

tached— lost,  if  it  brings  no  answer.  Right  here  is  the 
natural  field  for  salesmanship  by  correspondence;  the 

11 


12  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

right  time  for  craft  in  stating  a  case,  arousing  curios- 
ity, getting  the  benefit  of  first  impression  and  opening 
a  breach  in  the  opportunity. 

The  question,  then  is — what  are  the  basic  elements 
of  a  result-bringing  business  letter.  They  reduce  them- 
selves to  just  two:  "ideas"  and  "words;"  they  are  pre- 
ferably used  together,  for  either  is  useless  without  the 
other.  So  the  old  saw — and  one  worth  framing  for 
every  correspondent's  desk  in  the  country — ^'Depend 
upon  it,  Toby — it's  words  that  make  another  man's 
mare  go  your  road"  should  have  added  to  it — "and 
those  words  must  express  ideas  that  will  appeal  to  the 
other  man." 

But  ideas  and  words  take  time — well  chosen,  they 
take  a  good  deal  of  time — and  there's  the  rub  and  the 
reason  for  half  of  the  poor  letters  to-day.  Writers 
won't  take  the  time — they  think  they  can't,  and  say  so 
frankly  enough.  But  they  can,  and  the  business-getters 
— the  "fetchers" — put  hours  on  a  "letter-idea" — and 
they  make  it  pay. 

I  have  an  idea  that  the  post-oflSce  and  stenography 
have  killed  the  quality  in  letter-writing;  that  the  "trick 
of  speed"  is  responsible  for  the  loss  of  charm  if  not  for 
the  loss  of  letter-character  and  wholesome  originality. 
The  ideas  may  be  there,  but  the  accurate  choice  of 
words  is  sacrificed  in  order  to  make  time. 

One  thing  at  least  is  certain  enough — the  hurried 
rush  letter  now  current  very  often  falls  short  of  the 
mark ;  no  question  at  all  of  the  gun  or  the  shell,  but  no 
time  for  the  aim — rapid  fire — one  hit  out  of  a  hundred. 

This  sort  of  thing  in  correspondence  leaves  the 
sensation  of  disorder  and  unrest  in  the  mind  of  the 
reader,  with  consequent  loss  of  effect  and  waste  of  effort 
on  both  sides. 


WILLIAM    CLENDENIN  13 

This  is  the  fault  on  the  "words"  side  of  correspond- 
ence.   Now  for  the  cure. 

Concenti^ation  is  the  remedy.  But  we  can't  expect 
too  much  concentration  too  long  sustained.  An  idea 
The  First  ^^  ^^^^  connection  is  a  pocket  letter-book 

Eequisite—  — what  some  correspondents  call  "no- 
Eight  Words  tions"— in  which  to  jot  down  different 
synonyms  of  the  strong  words  covering  a  given  case.  I 
have  seen  one  "notion  book'-  with  pages  of  striking 
sentences  on  the  same  subject — and  the  force  of  the 
suggestion  and  the  value  of  it  to  the  business  writer  is 
the  way  it  helps  save  him  from  stock-phrases;  he  gets 
into  the  habit  of  putting  the  same  thought  in  different 
forms — new  ways.  It  keeps  the  business  young  and 
fresh  in  his  mind,  shows  new  colors,  new  combinations, 
and  gives  the  writer  himself  the  habit  of  originality,  of 
invention,  of  correspondence  ingenuity,  elasticity,  and 
enterprise.    The  practice  is  worth  trying. 

Study  words.  "Don't  look  at  words — look  into 
them." 

There  is  an  immense  su«:gestiveness  in  words — in 
the  choice  of  words.  It  was  Alexander  Hamilton  who 
said  that  the  "choice  of  words  requires  the  greatest 
faculty  of  the  human  mind — selection." 

Hawthorne  speaks  of  the  "unaccountable  spell  that 
lurks  in  a  syllable." 

And  yet  there  is  no  "black  art"  about  it,  nothing 
to  be  afraid  of.  We  can  look  a  word  in  the  face  with- 
TheTestby  ^^*  being  stared  out  of  countenance,  and 
Which  to  the  study  is  one  that  will  pay  any  man 

Choose  Words  well  for  his  time.  ^' Every  word  Webster 
«poke  weighed  a  pound."  "Every  sentence  came  rolling 
like  a  wave  of  the  Atlantic,  three  thousand  miles  long." 

And  there's  character  in  words.    "Eager  words," 


14  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

Shakespere  observes,  and  "faint  words" — "tired  words" 
— "weak  words" — "brave  words" — "sick  words" — and 
"successful  words." 

"A  word,"  he  says,  "is  short  and  quick,  but  works 
a  long  result;  therefore,  look  well  to  words."  Simple 
words,  and,  above  all,  the  old  English  forms,  are  much 
the  stronger,  and  strikingly  so  in  commercial  corre- 
spondence, and,  in  fact,  in  commercial  life.  Hard- 
hitting, clean-cut.  God-fearing  Anglo-Saxon  is  the 
stoutest  and  safest  thought  carrier  we  have. 

A  few  comparisons  prove  this.  Compare  the  sturdy 
vigor  and  hearty  welcome  of  the  words,  "Come  in!'^ 
with  the  more  polished  invitation,  "You  are  cordially 
invited  to  enter."  "Keep  out"  is  a  stronger  bar  than 
"Positively  no  admittance." 

It  will  pay  any  correspondent  to  add  Mathews' 
"Words,  Their  Use  and  Abuse,"  to  his  business  library. 
And  there  could  be  no  better  text-book  in  a  business 
college  required  course  than  Horatio  Seymour's  "The 
Use  of  Short  Words." 

Lip-lazy  writers,  too  indolent  to  dig  for  order- 
clutching  English,  won't  do  this,  but  a  word-student  is 
usually  a  good  correspondent.  A  good  short  word  may 
save  a  long  letter. 

Voltaire  said  the  English  gained  two  hours  a  day 
by  chopping  their  words — even  Thomas  W.  Lawson  de- 
lights in  what  he  calls  "chunk  English."  And  that  was 
an  old  trick  of  our  mother  tongue  that  took  two  com- 
moners like  "proud"  and  "dance"  and  made  them 
"prance" — for  the  sake  of  economy. 

But  back  of  all  language  are  the  thoughts  them- 
selves. Shakespeare  says :  "I  will  look  again  upon  the 
intellect  of  the  letter."  Mr.  Lockwood  expresses  it  not 
quite   so  elegantly:     "Any   fool    can   write — but   put 


WILLIAM    CLENDBNIN  15 

thought  into  it — that's  work."  Which  is  quite  in  line 
with  the  homely  observation  of  an  old  Cincinnati  busi- 
ness man  who  said:  "What  the  commercial  world 
wants  is  meat  and  potatoes — not  cake."  And  it's  good, 
specific  stuff — not  froth — that's  called  for  anywhere. 

That's  it.  The  best  letter  writer  in  a  business 
house  to-day  is  the  man  who  puts  life  and  action  into 
his  correspondence;  vivid  ideas;  originality  of  expres- 
sion ;  personality,  force,  and  even  daring ;  the  self-same 
elements  exactly  that  make  for  strength  in  personal 
contact. 

If  this  is  seriously  and  steadfastly  undertaken  and 
persevered  in,  the  result  is  the  development  of  "style" — 
and  "style  is  the  man  himself."  A  letter  is  part  of  a 
man's  character;  you  can  put  soul  into  it  or  leave  it 
out,  according  as  the  writer  has  one  or  not,  or  simply 
shuffles  along  the  calf-path  of  precedent.  Things  wear 
themselves  out  by  overuse  in  every  walk  of  life.  It  is 
so  of  words. 

The  vital  thing,  first  of  all,  is  to  get  away  from 
stereotyped  forms  of  expression.  There  is  a  sameness 
and  staleness  altogether  too  common  in  first  letters. 
Too  much  of  the  rut  and  the  mire,  too  much  fishing  in- 
shore, and  too  much  forgetting  about  bait  and  new 
hooks. 

I  have  even  heard  of  a  hide-bound  correspondent 
who  recalled  a  letter  at  the  postoflSce  after  it  had  been 
mailed,  explaining  that  he  had  "inadvertently  omitted" 
his  stock  phrase  of  "awaiting  your  favorable  reply,  I 
remain,  etc."  Everybody  remembers  the  historic  letter 
of  the  old  Holland  merchant,  which  wound  up  with  the 
words,  "Sugar  is  falling  more  and  more  every  day,  but 
not  so  the  respect  and  esteem  with  which  I  remain, 
yours  very  truly." 


16  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

Take  the  conventional  invocation  of  the  "common 
herd  of  business  letters:" 
"Dear  Sir: 

"We  take  great  pleasure  in  sending  you,"  etc. 
"Dear  Sir: 

"Our  fall  catalogue  ofifers,"  etc. 
"Dear  Sir: 

"Our  goods  present  bargains,"  etc. 
"Dear  Sir: 

"We  shall  be  pleased  to  receive  your  order,"  etc. ; 
"our  goods,"  etc. ;  "the  growth  of  our  business,"  etc. 

A  whole  range  and  gamut  of  sheer  waste  of  words. 
"We,"  "we,"  "our,"  "we"  this,  and  "we"  that— all  alike 
— ^all  about  us. 

What  about  the  "other  fellow?" 

The  "we  habit"  is  a  violation  of  the  first  rule  of 
good  correspondence.  The  business  man  who  opens  a 
The  other  business  letter  is  naturally  rather  more 

FeUow'8  Interested  in  himself  and  his  affairs  than 

Wants  .j^  yours.     Ethically,  it  is  too  bad  that 

this  is  the  case,  but  it  is  nevertheless  true,  and  there- 
fore a  condition  of  "approach"  to  be  reckoned  with  and 
studied.  The  correspondent  should  strive  not  only  to 
overcome  this  fact  but  to  take  advantage  of  it.  And 
there  is  a  way  to  do  it :  go  to  the  other  extreme — take 
the  other  tack  and  make  your  opening  read : 
"Dear  Sir: 

"You  have  an  argument  for  our  fall  line  that  is 
strong.    You,"  etc. 
"Dear  Sir: 

"Your  interest  in  a  good  sales  point  for,"  etc. 

"You,"  "you,"  **your,"  "your  business" — not  ours — 
not  we. 


WILLIAM    OLENDENIN  17 

Famous  letter-writers  follow  tliis  rule  religiously. 
Let  me  quote  some  of  the  old  masters  of  good  English 
— famous  letters — letters  that  live. 
"Dear  Sir: 

"Whatever  you  may  be  thinking,"  etc. 
"Dear  Sir: 

"You  have  by  this  time,"  etc. 
"Dear  Sir: 

"Just  as  your  interests  appear." 
"Dear  Sir: 

"You  know  that,"  etc. 
"Dear  Sir: 

"This  letter  to  you  is,"  etc. 

In  other  words,  the  drive  of  the  correspondent 
should  be  at  the  self-interest  of  the  addressee — not  the 
reverse  of  it. 

There's  another  thought  in  this,  and  that  is,  that 
even  some  of  our  best  commercial  writers  make  the 
Attract,  irot  mistake  of  assuming  a  prospective  cus- 
Assume,Aii-  tomer's  interest  instead  of  studying  to 
other's  Intereet      .^       j.   -x      -rtr  j.      «?     j   x     • 

attract  it.    We  can  not  afford  to  ignore 

the  craft  and  subtlety  there  is  in  leading  a  prospect 
into  wanting  the  very  thing  you  want  him  to  want. 
This  is  what  the  colleges  call  "the  psychology  of  sug- 
gestion"— and  a  great  study.  The  secret  of  it  is  to  sug- 
gest the  idea  of  advantage  in  doing  business  with  you — 
without  flaunting  it  at  him  by  stupid,  wide-open  expres- 
sions, as,  "We  are  very  desirous  of  receiving  an  order 
from  you."  Of  course  you  are.  He  knows  that.  Why 
tell  him  about  it  and  call  his  attention  to  your  side  of 
it — ^your  gain  and  profit? 

A  good  business  letter  pleases  without  betraying 
the  effort  to  do  so. 


18  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

A  long  time  ago  Addison  said  a  mighty  significant 
thing  about  this: 

"They  more  had  pleased  us, 
Had  they  pleased  us  less." 

Advertisers  have  a  precept  very  much  the  same, 
tviiich  says:  "Avoid  the  appearance  of  advertising." 
It  is  a  first  rule  of  good  salesmanship.  And  it  pays  to 
get  over  the  fence  on  the  other  man's  side  once  in  a 
while,  and  look  back  at  yourself.  Not  infrequently 
you  may  see  things  there. 

Let  me  call  attention  to  a  popular  fallacy :  That 
business  letters  are  conversation  by  mail.  They  are  by 
Business  Cor-  °^  means  conversation  by  mail.  To  con- 
respondence  Is  verse  carries  the  suggestion  of  ease,  of 
Argument  friendly     intercourse,     congenial     chat — 

pleasant,  agreeable — but  not  necessarily  business. 
Business  letters  go  further  than  that.  A  business  let- 
ter is  a  veritable  living  argument — intense — personal — 
important;  it  is  yourself  in  action — the  man  there  be- 
fore you  listening — your  cause  at  issue — and  the  result 
depending  there  and  then,  right  now,  upon  what  you 
have  to  say  and  the  way  you  say  it.  It  is  not  conversa- 
tion; it  is  solicitation  and  debate — serious  and  earn- 
est— strong  as  you  know  how  to  make  it.  And  here  is 
where  words  and  ideas  count — the  force  and  power 
of  the  right  word  in  the  right  place. 

We  can  make  our  letters  characteristic  and  un- 
usual, that  is,  we  can  make  them  like  ourselves,  and 
say  things  as  though  we  meant  them,  and  still  not  sacri- 
fice the  proprieties  nor  violate  the  rules  of  good  taste. 

Again  the  question — how  ? 

To  do  this  successfully,  I  believe,  requires  no  other 


WILLIAM    CLENDENIN  .     19 

effort  than  the  exercise  of  a  reasonable  quota  of  com- 
^.^^  mon  sense.     Let  me  explain.     When  you 

Natural  write    a    letter,    you    unconsciously    em= 

Emphasis  phasize  certain  words  in  it  that  make  your 

meaning  clear ;  that  is,  you  do  so  mentally  though  there 
is  no  mark  or  arrangement  of  words  to  indicate  your 
intention.  For  instance,  take  up  one  of  your  own  let- 
ters— and  read  it  as  a  stranger  might.  How  seldom 
will  you  hear  another  read  a  letter  of  yours  quite  the 
way  you  would  read  it.  For  instance,  in  the  matter  of 
emphasis,  take  this  familiar  sentence:  "We  were  not 
there.''  Nine  men  of  ten  will  emphasize  the  word 
"there;"  in  fact,  the  natural  balance  and  euphony  of 
the  sentence  throws  it  there ;  yet  that  is  not  the  signifi- 
cance. There  is  no  question  raised  as  to  the  locality 
or  situation — it  is  the  negative  "not"  that  is  entitled 
to  the  stress :  "We  were  not  there." 

In  the  same  way  people  of  the  corn  states  say, 
"I  guess  so,"  while  the  southern  vernacular  is,  "I 
reckon  so." 

This  question  of  misplaced  stress  is  a  most  im- 
portant one  in  correspondence  and,  so  far  as  observa- 
Mouiding  Style  ^^^°  S^^^j  it  is  usually  unnoticed  and  even 
to  The  Person  disregarded  by  business  writers,  although 
Addressed  ^Yie  fate  of  a  letter  may  depend  upon  it, 

its  meaning  be  entirely  misunderstood,  or  its  force 
lost.  This,  then  is  one  study.  There  is  another  need- 
ful one  for  the  successful  writer  of  good  letters — some 
respect  for  the  different  standards  of  style  in  the  differ- 
ent sections  of  the  country. 

A  letter  to  cultured  Boston  is  rather  more  likely 
to  fall  beneath  the  eye  of  college-trained  nicety  and  pre- 
ciseness  than  one  that  reaches  the  ranch  store  at 
Cheyenne  for  "Sam  Pete,  workin'  for  the  Alaho  people," 


20  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

The  old  South — the  Virginias  and  the  far  South — are 
characterized  by  more  embellishment  and  rich  orna- 
ment of  diction  than  they  of  the  North,  who  are  more 
blunt  and  abrupt  in  style. 

These  things,  then,  are  factors  in  letter  writing. 
Not  fads,  nor  fancies,  but  facts. 

Local  color  and  traditions,  too,  have  a  bearing 
upon  the  "translation''  of  letters,  as  we  might  call  it. 
George  Eliot  says:  "The  meaning  we  attach  to  words 
depends  on  our  own  feeling.  Possibly  no  word  has  ex- 
actly the  same  meaning  to  any  two  persons."  To  one 
it  may  recall  some  peculiar  effect  of  long  ago — awaken 
memory  and  incline  to  retrospect ;  to  another  some  new, 
unexpected  idea  is  suggested,  inspiration,  scheme  or 
plan,  and  redoubled  activity. 

In  short,  the  correspondent  having  in  charge  the 
house  letters  to  a  group  of  states  should  study  the  his- 
tory of  that  section  of  the  country  and  its  people,  and 
read  occasionally  some  good  newspaper  of  the  district, 
and  especially  the  local  trade  review.  This  gives  local 
color  and  familiarity  with  the  concern  and  interests  of 
the  people  to  whom  he  is  writing,  and  with  whom  he 
is  dealing. 

If  my  reader — a  correspondent — will  first  write 
out  a  business  letter  just  as  the  ideas  come  to  him, 

Improve  style  ^^^  *^^°  ^^^^^  '^  ^'^^^  ^'^^°  *^^  ^°^  ^^ 
by  Finding  dry,   he  will   see  many  a   waste  word — 

Weaknesses  many  a  nuisance  word  even — and  many  a 
gap  in  ideas  he  should  not  have  left  unfilled.  An  ex- 
cellent drill  is  to  send  to  the  files  for  back  correspond- 
ence— old  letters — and  study  them  all  over  again — see 
where  the  main  point  could  have  been  more  clearly  put ; 
study  the  reply  letter — and  see  where  the  going  letter 
was  weak  or  vague,  or  strong  and  clear.    Two  houra 


WILLIAM    CLENDENIN  21 

a  week — or  even  an  hour  a  week — of  this  "review-work'^ 
in  correspondence  will  do  wonders.  It  is  just  as  help- 
ful as  review  study  in  any  other  activity  or  study — and 
a  correspondent,  like  every  other  business  man,  must 
go  ahead  or  go  back — standing  still  means  going  back. 

One  great  cause  of  weakness  in  business  letters  is 
the  dread  of  appearing  plain — the  downright  unwilling- 
ness to  declare  oneself  in  a  plain,  homely  fashion.  If 
any  of  you  doubt  the  difference  in  force  and  effect  of 
the  two  styles,  an  evening's  perusal  of  "The  Despatches 
of  Napoleon,"  compared  with  his  "Vatican  correspond- 
ence," will  make  the  distinction  clear  and  practicable. 
Eead  the  Standard  Oil  letters  quoted  in  Miss  Tarbell's 
history  of  that  company.  Read  the  "Bond  Offerings" 
of  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Co.,  or  some  of  the  letters  running 
through  all  the  reports  of  the  Inter- State  Commerce 
Commission. 

Studies  like  these  are  accessible  in  every  city  and 
the  art  of  good  letter  writing  may  be  cultivated.  Pope 
says: 

"True  ease  in  writing  comes  from  art,  not  chance^ 
as  those  move  easiest  who  have  learned  to  dance." 

Successful  correspondents  are  often  audacious  in 
compelling  attention;  some  of  them  go  so  far  as  to 
Word  Coin-  actually  coin  a  new  word  or  expression 
age  and  which  better  serves  the  purpose  and  helps 

Expression  drive  home  the  point.  There  is  good  au- 
thority for  this,  plenty  of  it.  St.  Paul  was  one  of  the 
boldest  of  word  coiners.  He  originated  six  hundred 
Greek  words  in  the  Epistles  alone.  Some  further  pre- 
cedent in  this  connection  is  that  of  a  modern  master 
of  linguistic  innovation,  who  declared  himself  a  "con- 
tributor to  the  language,  and  not  a  consumer."  And 
there  isa't  much  danger  in  it,  either,  for  what  we  call 


22  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

"pure  English"  is  decidedly  a  composite,  a  mosaic  al- 
most, and  of  very  kaleidoscopic  tendencies.  Any  good 
writer  may  fairly  regard  it  as  a  property  rather  than  a 
proprietor.  Language  is  a  utility,  a  tool  to  be  sharp- 
ened to  each  man's  need  and  use.  It  is  something  to 
work  with — not  under.    There  is  no  law  about  it. 

Let  me  say  a  word  about  the  much-mooted  theory 
of  style — business  style,  managerial  style,  and  ^'house 
style."  "Choose  your  own  style;  it  should  be  part  of 
you;  choose  you,  perhaps,  rather  than  you  choose  it." 
There's  a  world  of  help  in  that  quotation  for  any  writer 
of  letters,  for  any  man  at  the  heart  of  a  business. 

The  best  horse  is  not  the  one  in  which  the  spirit 
has  been  broken.  Breaking  a  man  in  is  like  breaking  in 
a  horse.  You  can  curb  him  to  the  harness  without 
breaking  him  down — and  it  isn't  every  man  who  can 
break  a  horse. 

Style  means  to  be  personal — to  be  strong — honest 
— spontaneous — to  appeal  in  behalf  of  your  cause  with 
styieaSyn-  freedom — openly — even  boldly — any  de- 
onymfor  cent  thing  to  get  yourself  heard  in  the 

Personality  reading.  What  you  are  after  is  the  effect, 
the  answer,  the  "come-back,"  the  return  coupon.  And 
paragraphing  is  a  large  item  in  the  bill  of  good  com- 
mercial literature.  Business  writers  pay  too  little  at- 
tention to  it.  It  is  a  rule  with  the  press  to  open  a  story 
with  a  brief,  brisk  sentence,  stating  sweepingly  what 
it's  all  about — "then  period-paragraph."  The  same  rule 
is  a  good  one  in  oflSce  work. 

Heavy,  solid  sentences,  running  straightaway  half 
down  the  page,  like  body-type,  are  fatal. 

Chop  them  up — paragraph — ease  the  eye  of  the 
reader — help  him  along — make  it  easy  and  attractive. 

The    most    effective    letter,    mechanically,    is   the 


WILLIAM    CLENDBNIN  23 

well-written,   wide-margin,   double-space,  paragraphed 
letter — one  page  and  quit. 

Knowing  when  to  quit  is  a  good  sign  of  a  good 
correspondent,  and  the  whole  philosophy  of  the  sub- 
ject may  be  summed  up  in  the  syllables,  "learn  first,'' 
like  Abraham  Lincoln,  "what  demonstrate  means," 
then  "make  your  words  as  good  as  your  bonds — and 
every  letter  will  be  a  letter  of  credit." 


CHAPTER  TI 
THE   TONE   AND   KEY  OF   CORRESPONDENCE 

BY  FORREST  CRISSEY 

Key  up  your  business  correspondence.  Give  it 
the  tone  and  quality — in  fact,  the  tone-quality — that 
you  wish  to  have  associated  with  your  house  in  the 
minds  of  your  best  patrons.  There  are  business  houses 
whose  letters  never  lack  a  certain  distinction  and  char- 
acter, no  matter  from  what  department  they  come.  You 
know  these  letters  are  dictated  by  several  different  in- 
dividuals, but  there  is  a  "strong  family  likeness"  run- 
ning through  the  whole  correspondence.  How  does  this 
happen?  It  doesn^t  happen.  Whenever  you  see  this 
symptom,  be  sure  that  it  implies  a  deliberate,  persist- 
ent, and  intelligent  effort  which  has  very  likely  in- 
volved the  employment  of  experts  and  specialists  in  this 
particular  line  of  business  effort.  There  is  no  possi- 
bility of  imparting  this  peculiar  tone,  quality,  and  liter- 
ary distinction  to  the  letters  sent  out  by  the  various 
departments  of  a  commercial  and  industrial  house 
without  deliberate  design  and  intelligent  and  system- 
atic effort.  This  is  one  of  the  things  which  do  not  "hap- 
pen ;"  it  comes  only  as  a  result  of  a  high  order  of  busi- 
ness organization ;  it  is  one  of  the  finer  products  of  that 
process  which  we  call  modern  business  methodizing. 

So  apparent  must  be  the  importance  of  this  branch 
of  business  systematization  that  scarcely  a  word  of  ar- 
gument is  needed  to  enforce  its  necessity.  Very  re- 
cently a  large  wholesale  merchant  said  to  me :    "I  have 

24 


FORREST  CRISSEY  25 

recently  been  obliged  to  discharge  the  head  of  my  credit 
department — my  confidential  man.  He  is  honest,  con- 
Importance  servative,  and  shrewd,  but  recently  I  have 
ofTactaad  been  awakened  to  the  fact  that  his  inca- 
^°^®  pacity  to  write  a  letter  which  does  not 

leave  a  sting,  a  chill,  or  at  least  a  sense  of  lofty  indiffer- 
ence is  hurting  my  business  more  than  would  some 
downright  reckless  blunders.  When  he  writes  a  letter 
granting  a  good  customer  a  larger  line  of  credit  he 
gives  it  a  twist  that  somehow  makes  that  customer 
wished  he  hadn't  asked  for  credit  and  thus  placed  him- 
self under  added  obligations.  And  if  he  refuses  to  meet 
the  request  for  such  a  favor  the  refusal  is  so  put  that 
it  seems  a  studied  effort  to  conceal  a  strong  unwilling- 
ness to  give  any  credit  at  all.  Yet  this  man  has  always 
considered  himself  an  adept  in  letter  writing — and  for 
a  time  he  completely  hypnotized  me  into  that  view. 
But  at  last  the  steady  withdrawal  of  patronage  and 
the  occasional  outspoken  retorts  which  his  letters  pro- 
voked forced  upon  me  a  recognition  of  the  real  condi- 
tion of  affairs.  Then  I  went  out  after  a  man  who  could 
write  a  business  letter  that  had  just  the  right  ring 
to  it ;  that  was  neither  so  sloppy  that  it  sounded  hypo- 
critical or  so  stiff  and  stilted  that  there  was  no  tone  of 
good  hearty  business  friendliness  in  it.  I  have  found 
him.  He  comes  high,  but  the  difference  in  results  is 
remarkable.  Of  course,  there  are  other  things  required 
than  this  form  of  literary  ability — if  that's  what  you'd 
call  it.  He  must  have  business  experience,  business 
judgment  and  all  the  other  cardinal  business  virtues; 
but  the  addition  of  this  peculiar  capacity  to  write  busi- 
ness letters  that  hit  the  mark  is  a  rare  gift  and  makes 
him  a  star  man." 

Also  I  recall  that  Mr.  Harlow  N.  Higinbotham 


26  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

once  said  to  me:  "A  good  writer  of  business  letters  is 
Demand  for  a  ^°^  ^^  ^^^  most  diflScult  of  men  to  find — 
"General  Liter-  and  there  is  no  department  of  a  business 
aryCounse  ^^   which   he   can   do   so   much   mischief 

as  in  the  credit  department.  Here  it  becomes  neces- 
sary constantly  to  deny  favors  to  the  very  men  from 
whom  you  must  expect  continued  patronage.  There- 
fore, the  manner  of  the  denial  must,  in  large  measure, 
determine  the  friendliness  or  unfriendliness  with  which 
the  denial  is  received.  Again,  it  becomes  necessary  to 
have  your  letter  give  the  impression  of  unyielding  firm- 
ness while  at  the  same  time  it  does  not  wound  or 
antagonize.  In  a  word,  here  is  a  department  of  busi- 
ness in  which  it  is  imperative  that  the  finest  shadings 
of  meaning  shall  be  deftly  and  accurately  conveyed.'* 

But  how  is  the  business  man  to  go  about  getting 
his  correspondence  keyed  up  to  a  proper  pitch?  Once 
more  the  threadbare  expression  must  be  used :  "This  is 
the  age  of  specialists,"  of  consulting  experts  of  all 
kinds.  The  practice  on  the  part  of  progressive  busi- 
ness houses  of  employing  a  "general  literary  counsel'* 
as  they  employ  a  "general  solicitor"  or  a  "consulting 
engineer"  is  becoming  more  and  more  common. 

One  of  the  most  valuable  services  to  be  rendered 
by  this  latest  recruit  to  the  ranks  of  the  modern  experts 
The  Need  of  ^®  ^^^^  ^^  keying  up  the  correspondence 
Uniformity  and  of  the  house  into  a  harmonious  and  con- 
PersonaUty  sistent  whole.  This  is  done  mainly  by  sets 
of  letters  carefully  prepared  to  meet  representative  con- 
ditions which  are  presented  in  the  letters  handled  by 
each  department  head  and  correspondence  clerk.  First 
the  expert  must  get  a  clear  and  intelligent  idea  of  the 
situation  as  viewed  by  the  correspondents  or  patrons 
of  the  house ;  then  he  must  grasp  the  actual  conditions 


FORREST  CRISSEY  27 

and  the  manner  in  which  they  should  be  presented.  He 
then  prepares  a  set  of  letters  which  are  not  intended 
slavishly  to  be  followed  by  the  correspondence  clerk, 
but  will  give  him  the  key  in  which  the  letter  should  be 
pitched.  Paragraphs  and  sentences  may  be  used  just 
as  given  in  the  form,  but  there  must  always  be  an  in- 
troduction of  these  individual  details  necessary  to  give 
the  personal  quality  to  the  communication.  The  dif- 
ference in  the  correspondence  of  a  house  which  has  been 
brought  up  to  proper  pitch  by  a  sound  correspondence 
expert  and  that  of  a  house  which  has  let  this  matter 
*'take  care  of  itself"  is  astonishing. 

This  movement  in  the  matter  of  securing  a  higher 
quality  of  house  correspondence  is  not  a  "fancy  fad" 
of  business  "cranks ;"  it  is  a  part  of  the  general  move- 
ment for  better  system  in  every  branch  and  department 
of  business.  The  services  of  the  "literary  counseP'  will 
sometime  be  as  much  a  matter-of-course  requirement 
as  are  those  of  the  auditor  or  the  systematizer. 

Not  long  ago  I  entered  the  private  office  of  a  Chi- 
cago bank  president  whose  name  is  known  throughout 
the  country.  He  was  reviewing  the  "carbons"  of  the 
letters  which  had  been  sent  out  from  his  office.  This  he 
did  for  the  purpose  of  making  an  intelligent  analysis  of 
his  correspondence  as  a  whole  that  he  might  make  de- 
ductions and  rules  that  would  operate  to  give  the  vol- 
ume of  his  future  outgoing  letters  a  higher  quality. 
Here  is  a  task  to  which  almost  every  business  man  may 
profitably  dedicate  not  an  hour  but  a  day. 

Two  classes  of  business  communications  demand 
especial  care  and  should  have  the  conscientious  atten- 
tion of  every  executive.  These  are  letters  of  concilia- 
tion and  letters  of  expansion.  The  correspondence 
clerks  who  are  intrusted  with  the  responsibility  of  writ- 


28  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

ing  letters  dealing  with  complaints  should  not  only  be 
men  of  conciliatory  temperament,  but  they  should  also 
Two  Important  ^"^^  ^^^  *^  express  themselves  in  a 
Classes  of  Com-  way  that  will  make  this  attitude  felt  in 
munications  ^^^^  ]etiers  themselves.  But  even  this  is 
not  sufficient,  especially  in  large  establishments,  where 
hundreds,  or  perhaps  thousands,  of  such  letters  are  sent 
out  every  month.  Each  correspondence  clerk  should  be 
furnished  with  forms  containing  expressions  skillfully 
framed  to  cover,  in  a  general  way,  the  various  kinds  of 
complaints. 

Or,  to  again  repeat  the  expression  used  in  this  arti- 
cle, he  should  have  guide  letters  that  will  pitch  the  key 
in  which  his  answers  are  to  be  made.  Thousands  of 
dollars  in  good  business  are  each  year  diverted  from  al- 
most every  large  house  because  of  failure  to  handle  cor- 
respondence relating  to  complaints  in  a  thoroughly  dip- 
lomatic manner. 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  MECHANICAL  MAKE-UP  OP  THE  LETTER 

BY  GLENN  S.  NOBLE 
President,  National  Concrete  Machinery  Company 

The  most  important  part  of  a  letter  is  the  thought 
that  it  expresses;  the  ideas  which  it  communicates 
The  subordinate  part — and  hence  the  one  often  slighter 
— though  properly  of  great  importance,  is  the  dress  or 
clothing  of  the  ideas  which  the  letter  conveys.  This 
constitutes  mechanical  make-up. 

The  relation  between  the  thought  of  a  letter  and  its 
mechanical  make-up  may  be  shown  by  quoting  the 
words  of  a  western  railway  president  known  as  a  fluent 
letter  writer,  in  speaking  of  the  poorly-written  com- 
munications of  a  certain  line: 

"By  far  the  largest  part  of  the  letters  coming  to 
my  office  show  that  the  writers  pay  too  little  attention 
to  the  mechanical  side  of  letter- writing.  This  is  as 
though  a  railway  should  pay  great  attention  to  its 
managerial  heads — the  brains  of  the  company — and 
neglect  the  right-of-way  and  rolling  stock.  While  the 
management  would  be  planning  fast  runs  and  satisfied 
passengers  the  road-bed  would  be  so  poor  and  the 
coaches  so  ancient  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of 
either. 

"Just  as  it  is  possible  to  have  the  mechanical  side 
of  a  railway  system  stand  in  the  way  of  effective  rail- 
roading, so  it  is  possible  for  the  mechanical  side  of  let- 
ter-writing to  shut  out  all  possibility  of  results  in  busi- 
ness correspondence.'^ 

29 


30  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

It  is  conceded,  too,  by  every  competent  authority 
that  the  appearance  of  anything  has  greatly  to  do  with 
its  success.  An  excellent  example  of  this  fact  is  its 
weight  in  salesmanship,  where  the  eflBcacy  of  a  sale 
depends  heavily  upon  the  appearance  of  the  salesman, 
the  appearance  of  his  proposition,  and  the  appearance 
of  the  goods  he  sells. 

Now  the  object  of  every  letter,  it  is  true,  is  not  to 
sell,  but  few  are  the  letters  which  are  written,  the  ob- 
^  ^^  ject  of  which  is  not  to  get  something  done, 

i^otiveof  This  motive  is  the  one  which  brings  the 

the  Letter  letter  into  being  and  is  the  reason  for  its 

existence.  There  is  something  to  be  done,  and  the  let- 
ter is  the  most  economical  means  of  effecting  it.  This 
result  will  be  best  furthered  by  the  proper  clothing 
and  presentation  of  the  thought,  and  this  presentation, 
this  dress,  is  the  sum  total  of  the  elements  which  con- 
stitute mechanical  make-up. 

The  logical  treatment  of  mechanical  make-up  is 
that  taking  it  up  along  the  line  of  its  origin  and  de- 
velopment, that  is,  from  the  time  the  letter  is  dictated 
to  the  time  it  reaches  the  reader.  But  this,  though  log- 
ical, slights  the  most  important  consideration,  the  fact 
that  it  is  the  impression  upon  the  mind  of  the  reader 
that  is  the  objective  point.  The  effect  upon  the  reader, 
how  such  effect  is  made — in  other  words,  the  contin- 
uous operation  of  the  reader's,  not  the  writer's  mind — 
is  therefore  first  considered. 

The  written  communication  first  affects  the  read- 
er's mind  through  one  of  two  sources : 

(1)  The  letter  itself. 

(2)  The  envelope. 

By  far  the  largest  percentage  of  impressions  will 
be  made  by  the  letter  itself.    This  is  the  result  of  busi- 


GLENN    S.    NOBLE  31 

ness  organization  and  routine — and  is  partly  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  commercial  letter  is  carefully  filed  and 
made  a  matter  of  record  for  subsequent  business  trans- 
actions. 

Usual  business  organization  and  routine  provide 
for  the  handling  of  incoming  mail  as  follows : 

Mail — except  that  marked  personal — is  opened  by 
a  clerk  and  sorted  for  the  various  departments.  In 
Incoming  some  houses  the  rule  is  that  mail  for  the 

Mail-How  various  departments  shall  go  to  such  de- 
^  ^^  partment  when  the  nature  of  the  letter 

can  be  determined  by  the  envelope,  there  to  be  opened. 
The  rule  most  in  effect  is  one  that  "All  communications 
shall  be  addressed  to  the  Company,  not  to  any  member 
thereof."  This  means  that  all  Company  mail  will  be 
opened  by  the  receiving  clerk,  the  proper  notations 
made  upon  it,  and  then  be  distributed  to  the  various 
departments. 

This  means  that  the  department  head — the  one  for 
whom  the  letter  is  designed — sees  the  letter  first.  From 
it  he  gathers  his  first  impression  of  the  writer.  It  is 
the  starting  point  for  the  train  of  thought  which  gov- 
erns his  business  relations  with  the  person  or  firm  send- 
ing out  the  communication. 

In  small  houses,  particularly  those  in  the  country, 
it  is  one  of  the  prerogatives  of  the  manager  himself  to 
Differences  ^P^^  ^^^  mail.  Some  men  even  take  a 
in  Opening  childish  delight  in  performing  this  opera- 
"  tion,  studying  carefully  the  outside  of  the 

envelopes  before  they  are  opened  and  otherwise  spend- 
ing considerable  time  at  this  simple  employment.  There 
is,  it  is  no  more  than  fair  to  state,  a  small  class  of  old- 
time,  successful  business  men  who  consider  it  an  ex- 
cellent training  to  "size  up"  the  mail  before  opening  it, 


32  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

and  see  how  nearly  they  can  come  to  judging  the  con- 
tents, the  sender,  or  the  remittances  by  observing  the 
envelopes.  Then,  too,  many  managers  have  old-fash- 
ioned notions  about  opening  mail,  and  believe  that  a 
better  check  is  kept  on  the  business  by  attending  to 
that  part  of  it  themselves.  These  two  classes  repre- 
sent those  who  regard  a  communication  as  sacred  to 
the  addressee  and  such  men  often  let  mail  pile  up  during 
an  enforced  absence  instead  of  having  it  opened  and 
that  routine  work  which  might  be  attended  to  by  an 
employ^,  disposed  of.  A  small  mail,  however,  can  be 
passed  through  a  manager's  hands,  if  he  wishes  it  to, 
and  he  will  in  all  probability  feel  better  satisfied  of 
his  check  on  the  business  if  he  opens  it  himself.  The 
usual  accompaniment  of  such  a  course  is  that  such 
men  give  undue  weight  to  any  written  communication 
and  are  liable  to  regard  it  for  what  it  says,  rather  than 
what  it  is  worthy  drawing  wrong  conclusions  accord- 
ingly. 

If  the  manager  or  department  head  opens  the  mail 
he  gets  his  first  impression  from  the  envelope,  and  all 
that  is  said  as  regards  balance,  display,  and  the  like 
as  pertaining  to  the  letter  applies  with  equal  force  to 
the  envelope. 

In  many  houses  it  is  often  the  rule  that  the  en- 
velope itself  be  attached  to  the  letter.  This  is  for 
several  reasons. 

The  most  important  reason  in  the  average  modern 
business  doing  extensive  advertising  is  the  posting  and 
checking  of  the  advertising  key.  This  key  should  be 
as  short  as  possible  and  the  usual  key  is,  "For  desk 
A,'*  ^^Department  A,"  or  some  similarly  concise  word- 
ing. 

The  tendency  of  the  modern  addressee  is  to  place 


GLENN    S.    NOBLE  33 

the  key  on  the  lower  left-hand  corner  of  the  envelope 

Keying  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^^  *^^  introduction  to  the 

Incoming  letter.    This  key  should  be  checked  either 

"  as  the  mail  is  opened  or  as  the  letter  is 

answered ;  in  either  case  it  is  well  to  have  the  envelope 
for  posting  or  checking  the  keying,  or  for  both. 

The  next  important  reason  is  that  the  postmark 
may  be  of  value  in  determining  the  place  or  date  of 
mailing  of  the  letter.  This  is  of  particular  use  in  the 
complaint  department.  Often  a  letter  is  written  order- 
ing goods  and  by  someone's  inadvertence  does  not  get 
mailed  for  several  days.  The  postmark  shows  this  and 
enables  the  complaint  to  be  handled  to  advantage. 

The  postmark,  too,  often  has  a  distinct  legal  value, 
and  the  trouble  that  is  necessitated  by  attaching  the 
envelope  to  the  letter  and  keeping  it  in  the  file,  is  more 
than  repaid,  if  postmark  information  is  ever  called  for. 
Proof  of  this  is  constantly  coming  up  in  court,  when  it 
is  necessary  to  prove  the  time  of  mailing  a  letter  mak- 
ing a  contract,  giving  an  order,  or  giving  required  noti- 
fication, and  covering  similar  legal  points.  The  ex- 
pense of  caring  for  the  envelopes  of  a  large  business 
may  be  more  than  repaid  by  the  legal  value  of  one 
postmark  in  a  suit. 

To  reduce  the  filing  space  the  envelope  may  be 
split  on  three  sides  thus  saving  one  thickness  and  mak- 
ing it  fit  better  in  the  files.    Later  it  can  be  discarded. 

Now  comes  the  true  reason — from  the  standpoint 
of  mechanical  make-up — for  the  saving  of  the  envelope. 
This  is  at  once  the  ethical  and  the  broad,  business 
reason.  A  letter  may  be  well  gotten  up,  clean,  neat, 
and  otherwise  in  good  shape  and  yet  so  hastily  folded 
and  enclosed  in  the  envelope  that  it  does  not  carry  out 
the  first  favorable  effect.    This  gives  a  line  upon  the 

3 


34  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

firm  sending  it,  as  it  shows  that  their  business  organ- 
ization is  weak  in  at  least  one  point,  and  this  may  be 
valuable  information,  especially  in  a  letter  coming  from 
a  competitor.  Many  men  have  ability  for  business  or- 
ganization only  so  far.  They  are  able  to  dictate  a  good 
business  letter,  but  the  broadness  necessary  to  get  that 
letter  advantageously  before  the  recipient,  observing 
every  mechanical  detail,  is  lacking.  In  other  words 
they  are  good  on  the  start — dictation ;  poor  on  the  fin- 
ish— the  mechanical  appearance  of  the  folded  letter, 
enclosures,  and  envelope. 

Where  letters  are  coming  in  from  houses  whose 
credit  is  often  under  consideration,  the  deduction  to 
be  made  from  a  distinctive  envelope  as  against  a  sloppy 
one  is  of  real  worth  to  the  credit  man,  if  not  to  the 
other  departments. 

Business  stationery  now  inclines  towards  the  sim- 
ple and  the  envelope  should  match  the  paper  and  pre- 
sent on  the  whole  a  distinctive  appearance.  In  many 
lines,  as  those  dealing  with  the  fashionable  classes 
only,  or  with  womenkind,  this  distinctive  envelope  is 
a  necessit;)\  certain  firms  even  going  so  far  as  to  put 
the  address  in  modish  Italian  handwriting. 

Whatever  is  to  be  the  fate  of  the  envelope,  whether 
it  is  opened  by  a  clerk  and  thrown  in  the  waste  basket, 
or  preserved  with  the  communication  it  enclosed,  it  is 
a  strong  point  for  general  advertising  purposes,  if  for 
no  other,  to  make  the  outside  dress  of  a  letter  the  best 
possible. 

The  address  should  of  course  balance  upon  the 

page.     (The  matter  of  balances  is  taken  up  further  on 

in  detail.)     The  corner  card,  whether  in 

Enyeiope  *^^  upper  left-hand  corner  or  transferred 

by  style  to  the  flap,  should  be  business- 


GLENN    S.    NOBLE 


35 


like,  and  distinctive.  The  paper,  too,  should  be  in 
keeping  with  the  business  of  which  the  letter  is  an 
important  part,  almost  always  matching  the  letterhead. 

Commencing  with  the  letter  proper,  which  is  noth- 
ing more  or  less  than  the  dress  of  the  ideas  which  the 
writer  wishes  to  convey,  first  comes  the  problem  of 
balance. 

Balance  properly  belongs  to  typographical  dis- 
play. Not  one  letter-writer  in  a  hundred  gives  it  any 
thought,  as  coming  within  the  province  of  the  technical 
side  of  letter  writing. 


Fignre  I 


Figure  n 


The  artistic  laws  of  balance,  which  are  the  same 
whether  applied  to  a  title  page,  an  ad,  or  a  letter,  sim- 
ply provide  that  when  the  production  is  viewed  as  a 
whole,  that  the  darks  must  be  disposed  upon  the  page 
so  as  to  leave  comparatively  uniform  margins  of  light 
around  them.  This  is  shewn  by  the  accompanying 
cuts. 


36 


BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 


Figure  I  shows  an  improper  balance  of  a  letter, 
the  head  and  body  both  giving  a  wrong  general  effect. 
A  letter  of  this  make-up,  when  placed  at  arm's  length 
and  viewed  through  the  half-shut  eyes  shows  plainly 
that  the  head  of  the  letter  is  poorly  placed,  being  the 
result  of  disproportionate  size.  The  body  of  the  letter, 
crowded  near  the  top  adds  to  the  general  topheavy 
appearance  of  the  sheet. 

Figure  II  shows  a  correctly  balanced  letter — short 
form.  The  heading  of  the  letter  being  light  and  incon- 
spicuously placed  at  the  middle  top  of  the  letterhead, 
can  be  nearly  disregarded,  and  the  text  placed  squarely 
in  the  center  of  the  sheet.    This  makes  a  very  effective 


Figure  m 


Figure  IV 


disposal  and  is  one  of  the  neatest  arrangements  for  a 
short  letter  that  is  to  be  found.  The  reason  for  this  is 
very  simple.  The  wide  margin  gives  the  same  effect  to 
the  text  of  the  letter  as  the  wide  matting  of  a  picture, 
and  an  observer  is  bound  to  be  pleased  with  the  artistio 


GLENN    S.   NOBLE 


37 


effect  of  the  production,  whether  he  recognizes  it  as 
such  or  not. 

Compared  with  Figure  II  is  Figure  III,  which 
shows  the  disposal  of  a  short  letter  in  a  common, 
though  incorrect  manner.  There  is  only  one  advantage 
coming  from  this  style  of  disposal,  it  is  that  the  re- 
mainder of  the  sheet  can  be  used  for  a  reply,  but  this 
advantage  is  so  remote  that  it  seldom  or  never  coun- 
terbalances the  artistic  effect. 

Figure  IV  shows  a  sheet  as  commonly  written,  hav- 
ing the  artistic  arrangement  wrong,  because  of  the  fact 
that  the  text  of  the  letter  is  run  too  near  the  bottom 
margin.  This  margin  should  be  equal  to  or  approxi- 
mately the  same  as  the  white  space  at  the  top,  as  shown 
in  Figure  V. 


Figure  V 


Figure  VI 


This  matter  of  text  margins  has  a  great  deal  to  do 
with  the  appearance  of  a  letter.  Besides  placing — just 
treated — the  most  common  fault  is  the  ragged,  irregu- 
lar   look    of    the   right-hand    margin.      This    margin 


38 


BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 


Text 
Margins 


should  be  as  straight  as  possible.  Owing  to  irregular 
division  of  words,  and  the  fact  that  it  will  take  too 
much  time  to  make  the  right-hand  mar- 
gin perfectly  straight  it  is  hardly  to  be 
thought  of  on  general  letters.  In  order 
to  make  an  even  right-hand  margin  the  typewriter 
operator  has  to  count  carefully  the  number  of  letters 
in  perhaps  three  of  the  last  words  and  "space  out"  so 
as  to  bring  the  margin  straight.  This,  as  said  before 
is  not  practicable  and  is  seldom  held  to,  even  by  the 
most  finicky.  However,  it  does  not  take  appreciably 
more  time  to  make  the  right  hand  margin  more  nearly 
straight  than  it  usually  is,  and  the  bettered  appear- 
ance more  than  pays.  The  ragged  or  saw  edge  is  so 
common  in  business  letters  that  it  is  one  of  the  minor 
reliefs  of  business  life  to  receive  a  letter  which  has  an 
edge  uncompromisingly  straight. 


Sngure  vn 


Figure  VIII 


It  is  here  that  the  ordinary  business  man  asks 
himself,  "Is  all  this  not  too  much  trouble?"    This  may 


GLENN    S.  NOBLE  39 

be  answered  by  another  question,  "Is  it  ever  too  much 
trouble  to  do  a  thing  right?" 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  a  house  sending  out 
letters  to  a  trade  that  will  in  no  wise  appreciate  a 
well-written  letter,  needs  to  dawdle  over  correspond- 
ence to  get  it  artistically  correct,  but  it  is  business 
folly  to  have  a  large  outlay  for  expensive  stationery, 
competent  help,  and  advertising  to  reach  a  high  class 
trade  and  then  send  out  careless  letters  which  do  not 
in  any  way  meet  the  accepted  rules  of  proportion. 

An  important  point  in  the  art  of  mechanical  make- 
up is  the  matter  of  "group  paragraphing."  This  is  one 
of  the  most  effective  aids  to  display  and  harmony  of 
the  body  of  a  letter  that  is  known.  Common  as  it  is, 
there  are  still  good,  otherwise  up-to-date  letter-writers 
who  do  not  use  it. 

Group  paragraphing  is  effected  by  separating  the 
solid  paragraphs  from  each  other  by  a  double  space. 
Advantage  ^^^^  °^*  ^^^^  emphasizes  each  paragraph 
of  the  Group  and  makes  the  matter  more  easily  read, 
Paragraphs        y^^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^^^  general  effect  as  well. 

People  will  do  things  which  "look  easy"  with  a  great 
deal  better  grace  than  if  they  "look  hard."  The  tempta- 
tion to  skip  over  a  closely  typewritten  page  with  un- 
broken space  lines  is  a  strong  tendency  with  the  aver- 
age reader.  The  solidly-written  letter  may  even  go 
into  the  waste  basket.  It  produces  a  poor  first  im- 
pression— makes  a  poor  start.  So  the  writer  handi- 
caps himself  from  the  beginning. 

Figures  VII  and  VIII  show  the  comparative  mass 
effect  of  two  letters,  the  first  open  and  properly  dis- 
played, the  second  solid  and  improperly  displayed.  The 
effect  is  even  more  noticeable  in  the  original  size  than 
in  the  reduction,  as  the  reader  can  test  for  himself. 


40  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

It  is  to  be  remembered  in  these  days  that  mark  thj 
handling  of  hundreds  of  letters  where  only  one  used  to 
be  considered :  when  every  business  man  is  flooded  with 
a  continuous  grist  of  printed,  mimeographed,  multi- 
graphed  and  other  processed  letters  from  the  follow-up 
mills,  that  the  making  of  a  letter  "easy  to  read"  is  not 
a  phase  that  is  to  be  lightly  disregarded.  Nor  is  it  easy 
to  make  the  letter  distinctive.  To  make  it  invitingly 
cordial  at  first  sight  is  not  solely  the  privilege  of  the 
dictator,  but  is  also  the  prerogative  of  mechanical 
make  up.  This  can  not  be  understood  too  well  nor  too 
thoroughly  carried  out  in  practice. 

The  pen  as  a  medium  for  correspondence  may  not 
be  entirely  obsolete  but  it  is  painfully  near  it.  The 
Pen- Written  percentage  of  pen-written  letters  received 
Communioa-  by  the  house,  depends  to  a  great  extent 
*  upon  the  class  of  business  which  it  is  con- 

ducting. It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  a  mail  order 
house  will  number  as  many  tyjiewritten  communica- 
tions in  its  incoming  mail  as  would  a  wholesale  house 
receiving  the  orders  only  from  a  city  trade.  The  per- 
centage of  pen-written  letters  sent  out  by  a  house  is 
so  small  as  to  be  regarded  as  nil.  The  pen-written 
letter  therefore  may  be  disregarded  in  considering  let- 
ter writing  from  the  standpoint  of  mechanical  make- 
up. Where  it  is  of  importance  is  in  determining  what 
manner  of  man  it  is  sending  the  letter,  and  conse- 
quently in  determining  the  kind  of  reply  he  should 
receive.  But  as  mechanical  make-up  regards  the  out- 
going letter  only,  this  too  may  be  disregarded  here. 

The  typewriter  has  been  i>erfected  until  it  is  now 
an  accepted  fact  that  almost  anything  within  the 
bounds  of  letter-writing  may  be  done  by  its  aid.  Even 
landscapes — somewhat    stiff    in    treatment,    but    still 


GLEISN    S.    NOBLE  41 

scenic  in  character — may  be  delineated  by  the  facile 
operator.  But  the  proportion  of  poorly  arranged,  un- 
Howto  artistic — and  what  is  more  to  the  point — 

Get  Good  unsatisfactory    letters    from    a    business 

Typewriting  ^^i^^^  ^^  view,  remains  at  a  dead  level.  The 
reasons  why  the  average  typewritten  letter  coming  into 
the  average  office  is  not  up  to  standard  is  often  due  as 
much  to  the  lack  of  intelligent  supervision  by  the  de- 
partment head  as  the  fault  of  the  stenogi'apher.  Were 
the  "why"  and  "how"  of  the  mechanical  side  of  the 
letter  impressed  upon  the  stenographer  instead  of  let- 
ting her  work  along  in  the  dark,  the  percentage  of  ill- 
looking  letters  would  be  materially  reduced.  A  valu- 
able aid  in  this  respect  is  a  number  of  letters  gotten 
up  correctly  and  to  be  used  as  a  guide  in  the  mechan- 
ical arrangement  of  office  communications.  Form  let- 
ters of  fifty,  one  hundred,  one  hundred  and  fifty  words 
and  upwards  may  be  prepared,  correct  as  to  arrange- 
ment, placing,  and  display,  and  used  as  illustrations 
of  what  the  office  style  is  to  be.  Better  yet,  a  regular 
"style  book"  such  as  is  in.  use  in  the  printing  office 
or  proof-room  may  be  made  up  and  added  to  from  time 
to  time,  eventually  covering  every  point  in  office  style. 
It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  certain  colors  will 
not  harmonize  when  placed  together.     In  fact  their 

appearance  is  denoted  by  the  suggestive 
Harmony  ^^^^   "clash,"   as  expressing  to   the  eye 

what  a  discordant  jumble  of  sounds  does 
to  the  ear.  Now  right  here  the  business  man  loses 
out  when  his  correspondent  opens  up  his  mail  and  is 
greeted  with  the  clash  of  two  or  more  colors.  He  may 
not  know  that  it  is  there,  but  it  is  just  the  same.  One 
of  the  first  opportunities  has  been  lost.  Instead  of 
greeting  the  prospect  or  customer  with  the  smooth, 


42  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

mellow,  diplomatic  tones  of  tbe  practiced  politician  he 
is  assailed  with  the  discordant  yell  of  the  street  urchin. 
It  is  as  if  a  customer  were  to  be  greeted  with  "Hi, 
Bill!"  instead  of  the  insinuating,  ^'Good  morning,  Mr. 
Brown,  something  in  our  line  to-day,  sir?"  For  color 
effect  is  one  of  the  elements  of  tone,  of  expression  of 
the  letter. 

Color-effect  is  the  composite  result  of  four  factors : 

(1)  Color  of  stationery. 

(2)  Color  of  ink  used  in  printing. 

(3)  Color  of  ribbon  used  in  writing. 

(4)  Color  of  ink  used  in  signature. 

That  these  four  colors  should  harmonize  or  blend 
is  not  to  be  denied.  Because  there  are  people  who  can 
not  distinguish  a  discord  in  music  such  fact  is  no  ar- 
gument against  harmony,  and  because  the  modern  busi- 
ness man  gives  no  thought  to  the  avoidance  of  *^color- 
clash"  in  his  business  stationery  is  no  reason  why  such 
a  condition  should  be  continued. 

The  color  of  stationery,  its  texture,  and  general 
appearance  to  the  eye  is  now  given  considerable  atten- 
tion, but  it  is  usually  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
buyer  alone.  In  the  press  for  "the  distinctive"  it  is 
the  tendency  nowadays  for  each  house  to  adopt  a 
special  color  and  style  of  stationery  and  familiarize 
the  public  with  it,  just  as  much  as  they  attempt  to 
familiarize  them  with  their  trade  mark.  In  fact  It 
does  become  their  trade  mark. 

This  so  far  is  very  good,  but  when  the  paper  has 
been  selected  and  turned  over  to  the  printer  or  en- 
graver for  his  work,  the  color  of  the  ink  is  usually  con- 
sidered of  little  weight.  It  is  often  left  to  this  discre- 
tion of  the  printer  himself  and  as  his  artistic  taste  ia 
BO  the  job  is  turned  out. 


GLENN    S.    NOBLE  43 

By  far  the  most  pleasing  effect  is  produced  by  hav- 
ing the  paper  and  ink  in  different  shades  of  the  same 
primary  color.  This  produces  a  distinctive  effect  and 
one  not  "worked  to  death"  and  does  not  introduce  a 
new  color  as  is  so  often  done  by  running  brown  on 
blue,  blue  on  yellow  or  by  similar  contrasts.  Some- 
times a  job  is  run  in  two  colors  on  colored  stock.  Two- 
color  jobs  should  be  carefully  handled  to  be  effective, 
particularly  when  other  than  white  stock  is  used. 

It  is  well  therefore,  not  to  let  the  pursuit  of  the 
distinctive  go  to  such  an  extreme  that  it  makes  the 
stationery  or  the  color  of  the  ink  give  the  slightest 
appearance  of  flashiness  or  gaudiness.  These  two  qual- 
ities are  associated  too  much  with  the  circus  poster  for 
consideration  by  the  conservative  business  man. 

The  third  color  is  sometimes  added  to  the  effect 
by  the  addition  of  a  different  colored  ribbon  on  the 
Advantage  typewriting  machine.  It  might  be  con- 
of  the  Black  sidered  needless  to  state,  were  it  not  so 
Bibbon  ^^^^^   .^  evidence,  that  the  body  of  the 

letter  in  garish  green  or  purple  added  to  two  colors 
which  already  do  not  harmonize  is  to  be  severely  con- 
demned. Often  the  color  of  the  ribbon  is  the  only 
thing  with  which  fault  can  be  found,  in  the  typewritten 
communication.  The  Departmental  Service  at  Wash- 
ington uses  uniformly  black  or  blue-black  ribbons  and 
all  matter  filed  with  the  departments  for  record  must 
be  written  in  black.  This  is  not  called  for  from  the 
aesthetic  side,  however,  but  simply  to  give  uniformity 
and  to  allow  the  communications  to  be  reproduced  by 
mechanical  processes,  if  necessary.  One  has  but  to 
observe  the  pleasing  effect  of  letters  put  out  by  the 
government  service  to  realize  how  much  better  general 
effect  is  produced  by  the  use  of  a  black  ribbon  in  the 
place  of  gaudy  greens  or  purples. 


44  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

Personal  peculiarities  crop  out  as  often  in  the  sig- 
nature as  anywhere  else  in  correspondence.    The  illegi- 
ble signature  is  an  every  day  occurrence, 

BigTiature  ^^^  °^^  ^°^  ^^^^  ^^^  freak  signature, 

written  in  red,  blue,  or  green  ink  makes 
its  appearance.  Sometimes  this  is  honestly  used  as  a 
means  for  making  such  signature  distinctive;  more 
commonly  it  is  a  mere  expression  of  freakiness — the 
same  spirit  that  leads  a  man  to  affect  bohemianism  in 
other  ways. 

What  has  been  said  about  harmony  of  color  applies 
with  equal  force  to  the  signature.  Blacks  are  always 
standard  and  will  harmonize  with  any  paper  and  any 
ribbon  and  give  an  appearance  of  solid  worth  to  a  sig- 
nature that  is  not  otherwise  attained.  Of  course,  there 
are  certain  lines  making  legitimate  use  of  freak  color 
signatures,  such  as  photographers  or  artists,  and  they 
may  use  with  perfect  legitimacy  the  colored  signature. 
But  it  can  have  but  little  use  appended  to  an  ordinary 
business  letter. 

After  the  signature  comes  the  fold.  There  are  two 
principal  kinds  of  folds,  the  long  fold,  where  the  enve- 
lope is  over  eight  and  one-half  inches,  and  the  short  fold 
for  the  ordinary  six  and  one-half  inch  envelope.  A  very 
neat  fold  to  fit  a  No.  7  bank  envelope  is  made  by  turn- 
ing the  bottom  of  the  sheet  up  three  and  one-half  inches 
and  folding  through  the  center,  making  the  inclosure 
four  and  one-quarter  by  seven  and  one-half  inches — a 
distinctive  size  for  certain  classes  of  correspondence. 

There  is  no  special  rule  for  making  the  long  fold 
other  than  to  have  it  neatly  and  tastefully  done.  The 
short  fold,  however,  is  worthy  of  more  care  and  study. 
In  making  the  short  fold  it  is  to  be  remembered  that 
the  space  at  the  top  of  the  sheet  is  valuable.     It  not 


GLENN    S.   NOBLE  45 

only  determines  for  the  one  opening  the  letter  which 
is  the  top  of  the  sheet,  but  also  includes  the  most  val- 
uable advertising  space  on  the  page.    To 
JJf^  fold  a   sheet   of  letter  paper   for   inser- 

tion in  the  ordinary  commercial  en- 
velope, the  fold  should  be  from  the  bottom,  so  as  to 
leave  a  top  margin  of  one  and  one-half  inches. 
Then  the  second  and  third  folds  should  be  made,  both 
equal,  leaving  the  margins  equal.  This  gives  a  space 
approximately  three  and  one-half  inches  by  one  and 
one-half  inches  at  the  head  of  the  sheet  for  the  dis- 
tinctive firm  name.  This  space  should  be  utilized  to 
the  fullest  extent.  Used  in  this  way,  that  area  of  five 
and  one-fourth  inches  can  do  as  much  for  the  appear- 
ance of  the  letter  as  the  remaining  eighty-seven  and 
one-fourth  inches,  if  rightly  used.  And  right  use  means, 
first  that  the  distinctive  design  be  in  the  right  place, 
and  second,  that  the  sheet  be  so  folded  that  in  opening 
the  letter  that  the  design  be  properly  displayed.  It 
should  first  catch  the  eye  of  and  be  the  first  reading  for 
the  recipient.  The  old-style,  careless  method  of  fold- 
ing is  obsolete  as  far  as  modern  business  is  concerned. 
Use  of  the  above  styles  of  folds  presupposes  that  the 
sheet  be  that  of  a  folio  letterhead,  eight  and  one-half  by 
eleven  inches.  The  use  of  a  sheet  this  size  for  all  busi- 
ness letters  has  two  distinct  advantages ;  it  emphasizes 
the  communication,  which  a  skimpy  sheet  can  not  do; 
and  better  fits  the  files,  besides  being  not  so  apt  to  be 
mislaid  in  filing. 

Mechanically  the  insertion  of  the  letter  in  the 
envelope  is  important.  The  use  of  the  envelope  is  to 
protect  the  contents.  The  insertion  should  therefore 
be  made  so  that  when  the  letter  is  in  transit  and  later 
opened  the  contents  will  be  thoroughly  protected  and 


4«  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

not  cut  or  torn  in  the  latter  process.  Mail-order  houses 
getting  a  large  amount  of  mail  often  grind  the  tops  of 
the  envelopes,  but  the  usual  proceedure  is  to  open  in- 
coming mail  with  the  ordinary  paper  knife.  The  best 
general  rule  as  to  the  inclosures  is  that  they  fit  snugly 
in  the  envelope.  The  general  effect  should  not  be 
^'bunchy,"  but  tastily  snug  and  trim. 

The  disposal  of  the  address  is  governed  by  custom 
rather  than  by  laws  of  mechanical  make-up.  The  time 
may  be  when  the  reverse  is  true,  but  that  time  is  not 
now. 

It  is  plain  that  whichever  condition  may  be, 
whether  the  thought-contents  of  the  letter  be  poor,  or 
good,  mechanical  make-up  is  of  the  greatest  import- 
ance. If  the  central  idea — the  main  thought — be  poor, 
the  value  will  be  enhanced ;  if,  as  it  is  to  be  worked  for, 
the  thought  be  snappy  and  up-to-the-minute,  it  can  find 
fitting  expression  only  in  suitable  mechanical  dress. 


CHAPTER  IV 

COURTESIES    AND    CUSTOMS    OF   LETTER 
WRITING 

BY  L.  P.  HUFFAKER 

It  has  been  facetiously  said  that  the  time  consumed 
in  using  the  useless  and  meaningless  phrases  "Yours 
truly/'  "Yours  respectfully,"  or  even  "Yours/'  in  the 
complimentary  close  of  a  letter  would  pay  the  national 
debt,  if  rightly  used.  While  this  statement  may  be  con- 
sidered somewhat  of  an  exaggeration,  yet  it  plainly 
illustrates  by  its  hyperbole,  to  what  length  custom  will 
lead  us  in  the  use  of  the  superfluous,  the  meaningless, 
or  the  inane. 

Avoid  stock  phrases !  Get  enthusiasm  and  energy 
into  your  correspondence  I  Be  original !  These  are  the 
instructions  that  are  hurled  at  nearly  every  corre- 
spondent by  his  manager,  or  which  form  the  gist  of 
many  of  the  articles  on  commercial  correspondence  in 
the  business  press.  "But  what  will  Mrs.  Grundy  say?" 
might  well  be  the  answer.  Will  this  estimable  lady 
think  you  are  trying  to  be  smart  or  that  you  have 
adopted  a  yellow  journal  style  from  a  pure  love  of 
sensationalism?  For — far  more  than  it  is  realized 
until  broken  away  from — truly  does  custom  hall-mark 
as  of  real  worth  only  that  which  obeys  exactly  her  laws. 
Lack  of  such  endorsement  often  means  the  brand  of 
sensationalism,  and  an  institution  branded  as  sensa- 
tional in  its  methods  is  on  the  high  road  to  bank- 
ruptcy. 

So  the  correspondent  finds  himself  with  the  two  re- 
strictions, to  be  bright,  snappy,  up-to-date — and  most 

47 


48  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

of  all— original,  and  at  the  same  time  to  conform  to 
custom  and  observe  the  courtesies  necessary  to  con- 
servative letter-writing. 

Discourtesy  in  correspondence  is  just  as  fatal  as 
discourtesy  in  speech — more  so — when  it  is  considered 
that  the  written  thought  is  permanent.  The  uninten- 
tional discourtesy  that  comes  of  haste,  or  ignorance  of 
form  or  custom  does  not  work  as  much  harm  as  does 
the  half-hidden  insinuation  of  double-meaning  English. 
The  former  shows  lack  of  organization  somewhere  along 
the  line — calls  attention  to  somebody's  lack  of  observ- 
ance of  detail — and  as  such  is  laid  more  at  the  door  of 
the  incompetent  stenographer  than  lack  of  tact  and 
tone. 

Most  seriously,  here  is  a  problem  worthy  of  more 
than  mere  cursory  study.  Courtesy  and  custom  have 
prescribed  certain  laws  as  strongly  drawn  as  the  caste 
of  the  Hindus.  From  these  no  departure  is  permissible. 
What  would  result  if  it  were  done  is  not  known,  for 
few  have  been  intrepid  enough  to  try  it. 

Are  the  laws  of  custom  as  they  are  because  of  the 
sanctity  which  surrounds  anything  of  age,  or  are  they 
the  result  of  development  and  elimination  until  the 
letter  may  be  considered  in  its  customary  form  as  the 
highest  expression  of  utility? 

Yes,  and  no. 

Some  parts  of  the  letter  governed  by  custom  can 
hardly  be  bettered — others  are  open  to  modification  or 
elimination. 

The  modern  authorities  on  business  letter  writing 
hold  to  the  theory  that  a  letter  should  be  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  written  talk;  talk  not  strictly  conversa- 
tional, but  one-sidedly  argumentative.  Now  granting 
that  this  be  true — and  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  it 


L.    P.    HUFFAKEK  49 

is  not — the  hampering  strings  of  custom  should  hi  cut. 
or  at  least  loosened  a  little,  and  ''written  talk"  Ije  al- 
lowed to  wander  more  at  will  than  is  common. 

Considered  from  the  standpoint  of  form,  there  are 
seven  main  parts  of  the  letter : 

(1)  The  heading. 

(2)  The  introduction  or  inside  address. 

(3)  The  salutation. 

(4)  The  body  of  the  letter. 

(5)  The  complimentary  close. 

(6)  The  signature. 

(7)  The  postscript. 

Custom  places  the  heading  at  the  upper  right  hand 
of  the  sheet  in  the  space  immediately  below  the  letter- 
head, though  there  is  now  a  marked  tendency  to  place 
it  nearer  the  center  than  formerly.  The  heading  con- 
sists of  the  name  of  the  place  from  which  the  letter  is 
sent,  the  street  or  room  number,  if  necessary,  and  the 
date  of  sending.  The  name  of  the  place  is  usually  a 
part  of  the  printed  letter-head,  also  on  some  letter- 
heads the  figures  "190 — "  are  in  print,  allowing  the 
remainder  of  the  date  to  be  filled  in  with  a  pen  or 
typewriter. 

There  is  little  chance  for  change  or  individuality  in 
the  headings.  Some  freak  letter-heads  leave  a  space  for 
the  date  between  brackets,  some  few  writers  conform  to 
the  English  custom  of  placing  the  day  of  the  month 
before  the  month,  but  in  the  main  there  is  little  change 
in  the  heading  of  the  letter  of  to-day  from  that  of  those 
ot  twenty-five  or  fifty  years  ago. 

The  introduction,  called  by  some  the  inside  ad- 
dress, as  distinguished  from  the  outside  address  on  the 
envelope,  is  the  second  part  of  the  letter. 

The  placing  of  the  introduction  or  its  absence 


50  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

from  the  letter  is  dictated  by  custom.  In  the  business 
form,  the  name,  street  address,  city  and  state,  consti- 
tute the  introduction,  being  placed  at  the  beginning  of 
the  communication.  In  military,  official  or  social  form 
the  introduction  becomes  the  "name  and  address,"  and 
is  placed  in  the  lower  left  hand  corner  of  the  sheet. 

As  a  variant  of  the  "full"  introduction  reading, 
Mr.  Chas.  E.  Blake, 
14th  Floor, 

Security  Bldg., 
Chicago,  111. 
is  the  "short  form"  introduction  reading, 
Mr.  Chas.  E.  Blake, 
Chicago,  111. 
the  remainder  of  the  address  being  given  on  the  envel- 
ope.    This  short  form  is  to  be  condemned  only  as  it 
gives  a  stepladder  effect  to  the  letter.    Utility,  however, 
combats  this  and  it  is  probable  that  it  will  remain. 

A  novel  time-saver  as  used  by  some  firms  in  con- 
nection with  the  introduction  is  effected  as  follows: 
A  "Short  "^^^  envelope  is  inserted  in  the  typewriting 

Cut"  in  the  machine  at  the  same  time  as  the  first  letter 
Heading  sheet  and  is  so  placed  that  when  the  ad- 

dress is  written  on  the  first  sheet  it  will  carbon  on  the 
envelope.  This  is  an  advantage  in  several  ways.  First, 
the  envelope  is  written  at  the  same  time  as  the  letter 
and  a  saving  of  time  is  effected;  second,  on  filing  the 
carbon  copy  of  the  letter  or  on  copying  it  in  the  press 
it  is  positively  known  that  the  address  on  the  envelope 
was  the  same  as  the  address  on  the  letter.  Not  only 
can  errors  in  addressing  be  traced,  but  there  is  a  perma- 
nent record  of  the  address  of  the  firm  or  individual 
right  where  it  will  be  needed — in  the  copy  of  the  letter. 

Another  idea  which  has  been  put  to  a  somewhat 


L.    P.   HUFFAKER  51 

limited  use  so  far,  is  that  of  using  the  "inside  address" 
as  the  "outside  address"  by  folding  the  letter  so  that 
when  inserted  in  a  specially  prepared  envelope  having 
a  part  of  the  face  cut  away  or  made  transparent  tbat 
the  introduction  becomes  the  address  for  the  envelope. 

Schemes  of  these  or  a  similar  kind  are  constantly 
a-trying  and  no  doubt  one  will  eventually  materialize 
which  will  dispossess  custom  to  make  room  for  economy 
and  utility. 

There  is  a  tendency  among  certain  correspondents 
of  to-day  to  omit  the  introduction  at  the  head  of  the 
Use  of  letter,  placing  it  instead  at  the  lower  left 

the  "Direct  hand  corner,  as  in  the  social  form.  Such 
Appeal"  writers  hold  that  the  first  essential  point 

of  a  letter  is  not  to  whom  it  is  addressed — that  is  shown 
by  the  envelope — or  by  the  fact  that  it  is  in  the  reader's 
possession.  The  main  thing  is  to  start  what  is  to  be 
said,  to  get  under  way.  The  apparent  omission  of  the 
introduction  strengthens  the  beginning  of  a  letter  by 
its  oddity — its  immediate  appeal.  Then,  too,  if  the 
usual  first  paragraph  of  the  letter  is  pared  away  or 
omitted  entirely  and  the  writer  starts  into  his  subject 
at  once,  there  has  been  no  time  wasted  on  the  part  of 
the  dictator  in  getting  down  to  business  and  there  will 
be  no  time  lost  on  the  part  of  the  reader  in  getting  to 
the  important  part — the  real  meat  of  the  letter. 

After  the  introduction  comes  the  salutation.  Cus- 
tom prescribes  that  this  be  either  "Dear  Sir,"  if  ad- 
dressing an  individual  or  "Gentlemen,"  if  addressing  a 
firm.  Custom  calls  for  the  capitalization  of  all  words 
in  the  salutation,  though  some  authorities  capitalize 
only  the  first  word.  The  matter  of  punctuation  fol- 
lowing is  not  agreed  upon;  the  comma,  semi-colon, 
colon,  and  colon  and  dash  being  variously  used. 


52  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

The  advantages  of  tne  direct  appeal  style  are  so 
numerous,  so  strong  and  so  logical  that  it  is  a  wonder 
that  it  has  not  been  used  before  or  having  been  intro- 
duced is  not  more  general. 

In  the  first  place,  ''Dear  Sir"  is  meaningless.  The 
two  terms  are  contradictory.  We  do  not  address  as 
"dear"  those  with  whom  we  have  no  better  acquaint- 
ance than  "Sir."  Then  too,  there  is  too  little  chance  for 
variation  in  the  changeless  "Dear  Sir."  About  the  only 
change  is  "My  Dear  Sir,"  which  is  resented  as  too  pro- 
prietary by  most  men — so  the  correspondent  drops  back 
to  "Dear  Sir"  again. 

The  first  advantage  of  the  immediate  salutation  is 
the  ethical  one;  the  advantage  coming  from  placing  the 
name  of  the  one  addressed  in  the  most  prominent  place. 

As  the  letter  is  opened  the  recipient  glances  at  the 
letter-head  and  then  sets  himself  to  read  the  communi- 
cation. His  name  is  the  first  thing  that  strikes  him. 
Not  "Dear  Sir"  but  "Mr.  Brown" — the  one  generic  and 
meaningless — the  other  specific. 

Compare  the  two  forms : 

Mr.  J.  H.  Ford,  Mr.  Ford  :— 

227  Standard  Bid.,  Have  you  ordered  your 

c/o  Davis  &  Davis,  printing  yet? 

Chicago,  111.  If  you  have,  etc. — 

Dear  Sir: — 

We  take  this  means  of 
calling  your  attention  to 
the  fact  that  we  are  doing 
all  kinds  of  printing,  etc. 

The  comparative  strength  of  these  two  methods 
is  so  plainly  shown  by  the  "deadly  parallel"  that  more 


L.   P.    HUFFAKER  53 

reasons  need  not  be  enumerated  in  detailing  the  ad- 
vantages of  this  style. 

The  style  above  places  the  salutation  on  a  separate 
line  followed  by  the  punctuation.  Extremists  use  the 
following : 

Mr.  Smith,  your  courteous  suggestion  of  April 
15th  will  receive  our  immediate  attention. 
Too  slavish  adherence  to  this  last  style  loses  by  its 
lack  of  the  personal  element  when  addressed  to  "the 
Company,   not   to   an   individual,"   as  the   following 
shows : 

The  Standard  Co.,  the  writer  is  at  a  loss  to 
understand  why  you  do  not  give  our  orders  more 
prompt  attention.    Our  first  order,  etc. 

This  is  a  very  weak  use  of  a  strong  style,  as  a  "per- 
sonal appeal"  should  above  all  things  be  personal. 

The  body  of  the  letter,  consisting  of  the  text  or 
subject  matter  follows  the  salutation.  Custom  pre- 
scribes much  less  concerning  the  body  of  the  letter — if  it 
be  taken  into  consideration  the  importance  of  this  part 
— than  the  remaining  divisions.  The  body  of  the  letter 
in  the  old  standard  form  starts  out  with  a  preamble 
stating  the  cause  for  writing: 

We  have  your  favor  of  the  1st  inst. 

Replying  to  your  inquiry  of  July  1st. 

This  serves  its  purpose  when  it  acts  as  a  "con- 
necting link"  between  a  preceding  event  or  events  and 
makes  a  natural  step  from  what  has  gone  before  to 
what  is  to  come.  Another  style  of  arrangement  is 
sometimes  used  which  is  effective  and  not  hackneyed. 
It  throws  the  "connecting  link"  to  the  last  of  the  main 
statement,  as: 

Your  proposal  to  send  your  representative  to 
consult  with  us  on  the  matter  of  maintaining 


54  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

satisfactory  prices  and  avoiding  rate  cutting, 
meets  with  our  decided  approval,  etc. 
This  in  reply  to  your  letter  of  July  1st. 

Following  the  body  of  the  letter  comes  the  compli- 
mentary close.  The  complimentary  close  is  a  standing 
tribute  to  custom.  It  is  useless,  expressionless  and  has 
no  excuse  for  being.  In  fact  a  less  expressionless 
phrase  than  the  common  "Yours  truly,"  could  not  be 
found. 

The  object  of  the  complimentary  close  was  origi- 
nally for  the  writer  to  bow  himself  out  of  the  reader^s 
presence  with  a  formal  closing  remark,  respectful  in 
tone,  and  saying  substantially,  "Having  said  what  is  to 
be  said,  I  now  withdraw." 

That  there  is  need  for  some  such  phrase  is  evident 
from  the  abruptness  which  seems  to  characterize  inter- 
house  communications  when  the  complimentary  close 
is  omitted. 

The  full  complimentary  close  is  generally  in  use 
only  in  foreign  letters.  Such  communications  often 
end: 

We  are.  Gentlemen, 

Yours  faithfully. 

Meanwhile,   we  remain.   Gentlemen, 
Yours  very  truly. 

These  forms  seem  over-punctilious  to  the  business 
man  who  drops  naturally  into  "Yours  truly"  after  hav- 
ing "said  his  say." 

As  to  the  use  of  the  final  dependent  clause  con- 
necting the  letter,  a  weak  effect  is  often  brought  out 
by  such  endings  as, 

Thanking  you  for  past  favors,  we  beg  to  remain, 
Yours  truly, 


L.    P.    HUFFAKER  55 

Meanwhile  we  beg  to  subscribe  ourselves, 
Yours  most  sincerely. 

There  seems  to  be  great  room  for  the  genius  who 
will  popularize  a  style  so  rounded  out  as  to  make  the 
complimentary  close  obsolete,  but  up  to  this  time  it  has 
not  been  done. 

Custom  has  prescribed  but  little  concerning  the 
signature  and  indeed  more  than  one  authority  does  not 
include  the  signature  in  enumerating  the  parts  but 
stops  with  the  complimentary  close. 

The  history  of  the  postscript  is  closely  interwoven 
with  the  customs  observed  in  reference  to  it.  When 
^g^  the  letter  was  a  formal  document — the 

of  the  event  of  a  lifetime — it  was  necessary  that 

Postscript  ^jjy  additions  to  the  body  be  signed  and 

authenticated  with  just  as  much  formality  as  the  main 
part  of  the  document.  Hence,  the  custom  now  rapidly 
being  abandoned  of  aflSxing  the  initials  of  the  writer  to 
the  postscript.  Now,  the  postscript  is  deliberately  used 
as  a  means  of  emphasizing  some  important  point  that 
would  be  lost  in  the  body  of  the  letter — probably  on  the 
principle  that  the  hornet  carries  the  sting  in  its  tail. 
This  is  the  important  use  and  is  one  much  affected  by 
form  writers. 

Such  in  brief  are  the  main  restrictions  which  cus- 
tom and  courtesy  have  placed  upon  the  correspondent. 
American  business  men  have  never  been  hidebound  as 
a  class  to  precedent — only  as  the  individual — who  hates 
to  break  away  from  what  has  been  stamped  "regular" 
and  "good  business  form"  and  been  "tried  out"  and 
proved  dollar-getting,  the  only  and  final  test  of  the 
business  letter. 


CHAPTER  V 

BUSINESS    STATIONERY 

BY  KENDALL  BANNING 

Of  The  Banning  Company 

A  man  comes  into  your  oflBce.  He  is  a  stranger; 
you  don't  know  where  he  comes  from  or  what  he  wants. 
You  are  a  business  man  and  accustomed  to  make  esti- 
mates of  your  visitors  quickly.  And  his  dress — which 
is  not  the  man,  to  be  sure,  but  which  covers  the  greater 
part  of  him  and  which  may  be  presumed  to  reflect  his 
tastes  and  to  this  extent  his  social  position — offers  one 
of  the  easiest  and  in  some  cases  the  determining  basis 
of  your  estimate. 

A  letter  comes  to  your  desk.  The  envelope  bears 
an  unknown  inscription  or  is  addressed  in  an  unknown 
hand.  That  letter  comes  to  your  office  as  a  stranger. 
And  before  you  read  its  message — before  the  stranger 
speaks  to  state  his  purpose — your  estimate  of  your  cor- 
respondent is  to  some  extent  biased  by  the  form  in 
which  his  representative  first  appears  before  you. 

A  business  letter  is  a  representative  of  the  house 
from  which  it  comes.  It  is  as  much  to  the  interests 
The  Letter  ^^  ^^^*  house  to  be  properly  represented 

and  Proper  by  the  letters  which  it  sends  through  the 

Representation     ^^^jjg  ^^  ^^  ^^^  employes  it  sends  on  the 

road.  No  house  would  allow  its  representatives  to 
appear  before  a  customer  in  unclean  or  uncouth  cloth- 
ing. The  frayed  cuff  and  the  muddy  shoe  are  as  im- 
possible as  the  straw  hat  with  a  frock  coat.  Yet  the 
average  business  concern  blandly  entrusts  its  station- 

56 


KENDALL    BANNING  57 

ery  representation  to  the  cheap  or  freak  paper  and 
crude  typography  of  the  job  printer,  whose  selections 
and  combinations  of  types  and  tints  are  often  as  in- 
harmonious as  the  celluloid  collar  and  revolving  dicky 
is  to  evening  dress. 

Good  men  with  good  propositions  may  come  in 
rough  exteriors.  Good  houses  may  offer  good  oppor- 
tunities in  soiled  and  penciled  notes.  But  most  of 
them  do  not,  and  as  the  man  of  affairs  to-day  is  a  man 
of  quick  judgment,  it  is  merely  a  matter  of  business 
to  take  the  least  risk  by  conforming  to  modern  con- 
ditions. 

Taste  in  printed  matter  is  not  necessarily  depend- 
ent upon  price.  A  well  known  English  artist  once 
Taste  printed  some  crude  woodcuts  on  odd  bits 

and  of  wrapping  paper  slapped  together  in  the 

^^^  form  of  a  folder  which  is  now  valued  at 

a  hundred  dollars  apiece.  The  cuts,  the  paper,  and 
the  binding  were  cheap  but  each  harmonized  with  the 
other  and  the  result  was  art 

You  may  blend  the  rich  color  of  a  Corot  with  the 
bold  lines  of  a  modern  Gibson  but  the  result  will  not 
be  real  art. 

You  may  blend  the  tone  symphonies  of  Wagner 
with  the  dash  of  modern  rag-time  but  the  result  will 
not  be  real  music. 

You  may  combine  heavy-faced  type  with  antagon- 
istic tints  on  glazed  paper  trimmed  to  unconventional 
Oddity  dimensions,  but  the  result  will  typify  the 

Not  sport  rather  tb^n  the  gentleman.    For  the 

Personality  "dress"  of  printed  matter  may  reflect  the 
personality  of  its  creator  just  as  surely  as  clothing  re- 
flects the  personality  of  its  wearer.  It  is  not  a  problem 
affecting  the  type  alone,  nor  paper  alone,  nor  tint  aione. 


MANSMAU.    M>»n*>\ 


Lackawanna  Stccl  CoMeANr. 

orrtcc  or  coMrmotxca 

BorrAuo,A.v. 


or»ic(  Of  Txa  CHifr  cicmi 


SiCARS.  ROEDVCK  &  CXX 

CXtCAOO,. 


New  York  Telephone  Company. 

I»  Dcv  Stmcct, 

New  York. 


tDWAMD  ATKJ/fSOf 
M  iitJt  srmttr 


WMMMSWI.  *  «i 


58 


KENDALL   BANNING  59 

It  is  a  harmonious  application  of  the  rules  of  typog- 
raphy, made  to  conform  with  the  personality  which  it 
represents.  As  a  rule  the  best  stationery  best  repre- 
sents that  personality. 

Business  stationery  may  be  divided  into  three  main 
classes : 

First:  the  conventional  and  safe; 

Second :  the  characteristic  and  good ; 

Third:  the  eccentric  and  poor. 

The  dividing  lines  between  the  second  and  third 
classes  is  often  narrow.  In  an  attempt  to  be  "char- 
acteristic" it  is  very  easy  to  be  eccentric.  Eccentric- 
ity in  stationery,  as  in  dress,  is  always  in  poor  taste. 
For  the  average  business  man,  the  first  road  offers  the 
least  danger,  for  the  simple  and  conventional  station- 
ery is  sane  and  practical. 

Business  stationery,  first  of  all  should  bear  the 
name  of  the  house  or  individual  and  the  address.  To 
The  First  ^^^®  ^^^  ^  added  the  telephone  number 

Require-  and  the  particular  office  from  which  the 

°^®^^  letter    comes.      The    conventional    corre- 

spondence sheet  bears  this  information  in  the  simplest 
form,  and  the  sheet  is  cut  to  be  folded  into  conventional 
shape.  Good  examples  of  this  class  of  stationery  are 
shown  on  page  58.  They  violate  no  rules,  they  call 
no  attention  to  themselves.  They  form  a  class  of  their 
own  and  need  no  comment. 

A  group  of  more  pretentious  letterheads  is  shown 
on  page  60.  Here  some  attempt  has  been  made  to  call 
attention  to  the  letterhead  itself.  The  sheet  at  the  top 
is  a  good  example  of  a  style  that  is  generally  popular 
with  manufacturing  houses,  which  often — perhaps  for 
the  purpose  of  impressing  the  recipient  with  the  relia- 
bility of  the  firm — show  a  cut  of  the  plant.    "Here  is 


JieS0iim.su 


Sl3MumjnA.jL. 


je^/fu/'maHTi  U*%me.tii 


sJ^ZJ^^t^t^^anui/^toi^^i^c^^ 


-rs-. 


ty 


Fr»dericiW.  Gardner 

•O*  Fin*  AH*  BuUln« 


^^ 


dSa()|ifa()  (funqKnig 


9/j[trni  IfVtm  (iliiiiMtjiii^ 


60 


KENDALL   BANNING  61 

my  name  and  address  and  here  is  where  I  manufacture 
my  goods/'  is  the  keynote  of  this  scheme.  Such  letter- 
heads usually  bear  the  names  of  the  firm's  officers,  the 
cable  address,  and  other  items  of  interest,  and  the  cut 
shown  is  usually  an  idealized  steel  engraving,  occupy- 
ing considerable  space,  and  tending  to  break  up  the 
general  balance  of  the  letterhead  into  a  mass  of  detail. 
The  same  type  of  letterhead  without  the  illustration  is 
shown  below.  The  effect  is  cleaner  and  more  dignified. 
The  other  sheets  in  this  group  are  engraved  with  the 
special  purpose  of  appealing  to  that  better  class  of  peo- 
ple whom  the  letters  will  reach.  They  all  bear  the 
necessary  information  in  unusual  but  quiet  form  and 
are  engraved  in  unobtrusive  colors  on  good  paper.  Sel- 
dom would  such  letterheads  be  sent  out  to  addressees 
who  would  not  be  susceptible  to  their  tone. 

A  still  more  characteristic  group  is  shown  on  page 
02.  A  particularly  significant  letterhead  appears  at 
the  top,  "United  States  Senate."  The  compelling  dig- 
nity of  this  simple  phrase,  without  address  or  com- 
ment, is  as  striking  as  it  is  impossible  for  any  but  the 
truly  great.  Below  it  appears  the  letterhead  used  by 
the  various  federal,  state,  and  municipal  departments, 
bearing,  in  addition  to  the  name  and  address,  the  seal 
or  coat  of  arms.  A  similar  style  is  used  by  those  of 
titular  rank  who  display  their  insignia. 

The  four  sheets  at  the  bottom  are  types  of  the 
four  excellent  classes  of  letterheads  used  by  financial 
institutions.  It  is  naturally  to  the  business  interests 
of  the  banker  to  appear  substantial  and  prosperous  to 
create  an  impression  of  security.  He  embodies  this 
idea  in  his  stationery,  which  is  invariably  an  expensive 
bond  engraved  in  black  and  cut  to  prescribed  shapes. 
Unusual  departures  from  conventionality  or  color  ef- 


<^£nU«^  States  S«o«c)««>- 


^^^0''^'^^^^'^'''^ 


MARRISBURG. 


TREASURY  DEPARTMENT 

WASHINOTON 


lteN^mONALBANKOFlB£R£P(]BUC 

Capital  f  2.ooaooo    Surplus  97oo,ooo 


ntinotolHMt  &Siiviiis^sIlaiik 


KENDALL   BANNING  63 

fects,  indicative  of  a  desire  to  attract  attention,  are 
not  for  him.  Occasionally  a  financial  institution  which 
conducts  an  extended  correspondence  uses  a  medium 
priced  paper  with  a  lithographed  head,  as  common 
stock,  although  the  style  conforms  with  the  engraved 
sheets. 

The  group  shown  on  page  64  shows  the  most  "char- 
acteristic" letterheads  although  not  necessarily  not  the 
most  satisfactory  of  this  series.  At  the  top  is  the  let- 
ter paper  of  the  New  York  Tribune.  No  one  who  is 
familiar  with  the  type  and  design  on  the  front  page  of 
this  journal  can  possibly  misplace  the  source  of  this 
sheet;  the  whole  tone  of  this  letterhead  connotes  the 
house  from  which  it  comes.  Below  it  is  the  stationery 
of  Andrew  Carnegie,  characteristic  not  of  this  one  man 
but  significant  because  it  is  a  good  style  of  letterhead 
for  personal  business  correspondence,  for  a  lawyer, 
banker,  broker,  or  professional  man.  This  style  often 
is  folded  into  double  sheets  after  the  manner  of  polite 
correspondence  paper.  Below  this  is  a  design  that  em- 
bodies the  monogram  of  the  sender  in  simple  form,  and 
printed,  more  often  with  the  address  below,  on  a  Japan 
vellum  or  hand-made  stock.  This  conceit  is  used  as  the 
personal  note  paper  of  publishers  and  professional  men 
whose  correspondence  is  not  so  extended  as  to  require 
more  pretentious  sheets  and  who  desire  some  original 
but  tasteful  style.  In  number  five  of  this  group  is 
an  unusually  successful  head  containing  just  enough 
detail,  giving  the  impression  of  a  harmonious  whole. 
The  name,  address,  description  of  business,  and  trade- 
mark are  all  included  in  a  well-balanced  group,  being 
a  study  in  satisfactory  condensation.  The  simple,  en- 
graved letterhead  of  John  Wanamaker  is  distinctive 


•*i.t  THt  NtWS  THAT  IJ  NtWS: 

New  York. 

Andrew  Carneoib 

Si 

- 

m 

CAS.KXXS  tk  ROLOCir 
ASVERTIftINO 

««  «*»X  »»-.   ■TSCST 

MCW  YOXK 

64 


KENDALL   BANNING  65 

as  is  the  Waldorf-Astoria  sheet,  expensively  engraved 
in  gold  letters  below. 

However  unsatisfactory  general  directions  may  be, 
the  following  observations  may  be  profitably  observed 
in  the  preparation  of  business  stationery. 

Always  state  the  name  of  the  firm  exactly  as  you 
would  have  it  appear  to  the  public.  Your  letterhead 
is  the  official  guide  to  the  spelling,  order  and  punctua- 
tion of  the  firm  name. 

Always  state  the  full  address  to  which  replies 
should  be  directed.  If  more  than  one  address  appears, 
emphasize  the  office  from  which  the  correspondence  is 
sent  by  larger  letters  and  a  prominent  location  on  the 
page.  This  point  is  often  emphasized  by  printing  or 
engraving  this  information  in  color.  Never  allow  the 
wording  to  be  so  ambiguous  that  the  recipient  is  in 
doubt  as  to  the  address  of  the  office  from  which  the 
letter  comes. 

The  names  of  the  firm's  officers,  its  telephone  num- 
ber, cable  address,  kind  of  business  the  firm  transacts 
and  directions  for  the  addressing  of  replies  may  prop- 
erly belong  to  a  letterhead  for  business  reasons.  Sim- 
plicity is  always  to  be  desired,  however,  and  super- 
fluous information  should  be  avoided. 

The  sheet  should  conform  to  the  regulation  book 
page;  1.  e., 

The  letter  sheet  should  be  folded  to  fit  exactly  into 
the  envelope  to  which  its  paper  should  conform. 

The  address  to  which  the  letter  should  be  returned 
in  case  of  non-delivery  should  appear  in  the  upper,  left- 
hand  corner  of  the  envelope.  This  is  the  point  to  which 
the  postal  authorities  refer  for  directions  and  to  which 
the  official  stamp  "Return  to  Sender"  is  affixed.  Ad- 
dresses given  on  the  rear  flap  of  the  envelope  may  cause 

5 


66  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

ielay  and  trouble.  The  envelope  should  be  engraved 
vr  printed  according  as  the  sheet  within  is  engraved 
DT  printed. 

A-Iways  use  engraved  or  lithographed  stationery 
in  preference  to  printed.  An  engraved  or  lithographic 
plate  is  made  to  conform  exactly  with  the  ideas  of  the 
purchaser  and  is  not  dependent  for  size,  shape,  or  posi- 
tion on  the  limitations  of  metal  types  and  rules.  If, 
for  purposes  of  economy,  type  must  be  used,  adhere  to 
simple  faces  arranged  in  simple  form.  Use  heavy-faced 
type  only  on  rough  surface  paper,  never  on  a  glossy 
surface.  Plain  small  block  type  on  bond  paper  oflPers 
the  greatest  possibilities.  Hand  lettering  and  design- 
ing done  in  ink  and  reproduced  by  a  line  plate,  is  in- 
expensive and  effective,  but  good  letterers  are  rare. 

Colors  on  correspondence  paper  are  seldom  used 
to  good  effect;  the  results  are  usually  glaring  and 
cheap.  When  in  doubt  use  only  black.  Excellent  effects 
may  sometimes  be  produced  by  combinations  of  black 
and  orange  or  light  red,  which  offer  the  greatest  pos- 
sibilities. 

When  in  doubt  as  to  what  tint  to  use  in  the  paper 
(Stock  use  white,  which  is  always  in  good  taste.  Tinted 
stock  is  occasionally  used  to  advantage  as  a  *^firm 
color,"  in  which  all  the  correspondence  of  that  house 
appears  and  which,  for  this  reason,  has  an  advertising 
lvalue  in  attracting  attention  to  itself  among  a  mass  of 
©ther  letters.  Aside  from  this  occasional,  and  often 
doubtful  advertising  value,  tinted  stock  tends  toward 
the  eccentric  except  in  the  cases  of  paper  dealers,  pub- 
lishers, or  printers  who  have  a  purpose  in  displaying 
typographical  effects. 

Never  use  gold,  silver,  or  other  metallic  effects  on 
business  statioaery.     Such  effects  should  be  confined 


KENDALL    BANKING  67 

exclusively  to  polite  correspondence  paper  and  to  the 
business  correspondence  of  engraving  houses  who  take 
this  opportunity  to  display  their  skill. 

Never  use  a  paper  stock  that  can  not  hold  ink 
readily.  Never  select  a  stock  that  is  not  entirely  serv- 
iceable on  a  typewriting  machine.  Never  sacrifice  the 
practical  to  the  artistic  in  business  stationery. 

Never  use  a  sheet  of  paper  containing  a  letterhead 
as  a  second  or  following  sheet.  Either  use  a  blank 
sheet — conforming  exactly  of  course,  in  size,  shape,  and 
quality  to  the  first  sheet^or  a  sheet  bearing  at  the  top 
a  line  providing  space  for  the  name  of  the  addressee^ 
and  the  number  of  the  page.  In  case  such  a  sheet 
should  become  separated  from  the  others,  this  nota- 
tion will  identify  each  page. 

Never  show  on  your  letterhead  a  picture  of  the 
building  of  which  you  or  the  firm  occupies  only  a  small 
part,  unless  the  building  bears  the  name  of  the  indi- 
vidual or  firm  and  is  used  for  advertising  purposes. 
The  public  has  learned  its  lesson  from  fake  '^concerns'^ 
which  occupy  desk  room  only,  but  whose  letterheads 
show  some  large  business  structure  over  the  caption 
"our  home  office.'' 

Do  not  make  letter  sheets  advertising  folders. 
Never  use  space  on  the  side  margins  of  the  page  for 
printed  matter.  Correspondence  sheets  are  intended  to 
carry  messages  and  should  not  be  used  for  purposes  of 
illustration  or  instruction  that  may  be  given  more  prop- 
erly in  the  form  of  advertising  literature.  Letters  may 
represent  the  house  best  by  performing  one  function 
and  performing  it  as  directly  and  in  as  dignified  a  man- 
ner as  possible. 

As  a  rule  the  use  of  trade-marks  on  letterheads  is 
to  be  avoided.     Trademarks  are  intended  for  use  on 


68  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

products  and  do  not  properly  belong  elsewhere  except 
for  advertising  purposes.  Make  your  letters  represent 
rather  than  advertise  your  house. 

To  give  rules  for  the  production  of  original  sta- 
tionery is  as  impossible  as  to  give  rules  for  the  culti- 
vation of  genius.  But  the  rocks  and  shoals  of  mistakes 
of  bad  taste  may  at  least  be  avoided  by  a  reference  to 
some  of  the  fundamental  rules  which  are  observed  by 
those  whose  business  it  is  to  know. 


CHAPTER  VI 

CORRESPONDENCE  ENGLISH 

BY  B.   C.   BEAJ^ 

Correspondence  English  is  effective  English. 

Simple,  isn't  it? 

Use  effective  English  in  correspondence  and  at 
once  is  accomplished  the  much-talked-of  and  rarely  ex- 
emplified "art  of  letter-writing.'^ 

The  form  of  the  composition,  the  medium  by  which 
it  is  expressed,  its  mechanical  dress,  are  all  secondary 
conditions  to  the  vital,  life-giving  expression  of  the 
thought  to  be  conveyed. 

The  history  of  the  world  is  but  the  history  of  the 
forceful  use  of  language ;  the  record  of  accomplishments 
done  by  the  power  of  spoken  or  written  speech  backed 
by  a  motive — a  power — a  personality. 

Correspondence  English  has  been  neglected  by 
business  men.  And  there  has  been  a  reason  for  it.  This 
has  been  the  result  of  the  general  idea  that  business  and 
literature  have  been  held  to  be  ina  Iter  ably  opposed  to 
each  other.  And  there  has  been  good  reason  for  this 
view. 

First  of  all  the  idea  has  been  fostered  by  the  so- 
called  "cultured"  writers  that  a  classically  perfect  style 
is  the  one  to  be  striven  for. 

Usually  the  business  man  holds,  that  the  man  who 
is  finicky  about  split  infinitives,  can  not  write  an  ad 
that  pulls,  get  out  a  telling  circular  which  will  draw 
trade,  nor  dictate  a  letter  which  can  conciliate  a  com- 
plaining customer  and  retain  his  good  will.     And  a 

69 


70  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

business  man  isn^t  going  to  allow  someone  who  is  so 
all-innocent  of  the  arithmetic  of  business  English^  to 
give  him  instructions  in  higher  algebra  of  it. 

The  fact,  too,  that  the  men  who  write  the  best 
letters,  who  do  what  thej  set  out  to  do  by  means  ol 
correspondence,  who  can  buy,  sell,  collect,  or  conciliate 
by  the  sole  means  of  the  wTitten  communication — the 
fact  that  these  men  are  practical  business  men  who 
have  not  made  correspondence  a  theoretical  study  and 
are  not  specialists  in  English,  has  aided  in  the  neglect 
of  the  study  of  correspondence  English. 

In  general  terms,  the  ordinary  business  man  is 
afraid  to  "tinker  with  his  English"  or  let  any  one  else 
do  it  for  him. 

And  yet  the  problem  of  writing  good,  plain,  busi- 
ness-getting English  is  not  difficult  when  two  things 
are  first  considered  separately  and  later  fused  together 
in  a  working  composite.  The  first  is,  "On  what  does 
efficient  English  depend  ?"  The  second,  "How  can  these 
things  be  obtained?" 

Answering  the  first,  all  efficiency  in  speaking  or 
writing  depends  upon  conformity  to  what  Spencer  has 
designated  the  "principle  of  Economy  of  Attention." 
Stripped  of  Spencer's  circumlocution  of  expression  and 
applied  specifically  to  business  English  this  principle 
is: 

Everyone  has,  at  any  given  moment  a  fixed  amount 
of  power  of  attention.  Therefore  that  part  of  this 
The  Principle  P^wer  used  on  the  form  of  the  message 
of  the  Economy  must  be  subtracted  from  the  total  power. 
0  Attention  rpj^^  balance  of  power  is  left  to  compreliend 
the  message  itself.  As  words  are  used  to  convey  a 
thought  from  mind  to  mind,  those  word-combinations 
are  best  which  are  most  direct,  as  the  least  energy 


B.    C.    BEAN  n 

will  be  spent  on  form^  to  the  gain  of  the  understanding 
of  the  idea. 

In  other  words,  ^'Make  the  message  as  plain  as 
possible,  that  the  attention  may  concentrate  upon  the 
thought/' 

This  idea  of  considering  language  as  a  means  of 
thought-transportation  is  not  a  new  one;  it  is  as  old 
as  speech  itself.  It  is  only  the  requirements  of  rapid 
transit  that  present  the  difiSculty. 

Now,  when  it  is  desired  to  transfer  an  idea  from 
one  person  to  another,  the  logical  place  to  start  is  with 
the  idea.  It  seems  superfluous  to  say  that  the  dictator 
should  know  what  he  wants  to  say,  but  the  facts  often 
point  otherwise. 

Not  but  he  knows  all  ahout  his  subject,  but  he 
does  not  know  about  it  from  the  standpoint  that  the 
one  to  whom  he  is  writing  wants. 

Why? 

Simply  because  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  he  has  not 
definitely  known  what  he  was  going  to  say,  before  he 
said  it. 

Even  the  simplest  composition  should  be  outlined 
before  being  written.  If  the  outline  is  simple  it  may  be 
carried  in  the  mind ;  if  not,  it  should  be  down  in  black 
and  white.  Then  the  correct  development  of  the 
thought  will  be  observed,  the  ideas  will  be  grouped 
naturally,  and,  most  of  all,  there  will  be  no  repetition. 

Different  writers  have  different  methods.  Some 
blue-pencil  every  statement  in  the  letter  to  which  they 
wish  to  reply,  with  the  number  of  the  answering  para- 
graph, or  an  abbreviation  or  catchword  designating  the 
tone  of  its  answer.  Others  make  out  a  slip  grouping 
the  prospective  reply  into  heads,  and  attach  this  slip 
to  the  letter  before  answering.     Still  others — a  much 


72  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

larger  class — ^4ook  througli  the  mail'^  and  before 
formulating  their  letters  of  reply  making  every  point 
and  covering  all  the  ground,  call  the  stenographer  and 
start  to  dictate. 

The  latter  course  is  bound  to  result  in  a  poor  letter, 
often  a  mere  jumble  of  words,  simply  because  the  writer 
is  not  working  by  plan,  but  by  guess. 

Every  point  should  be  thoroughly  looked  up,  every 
idea  should  be  in  readiness  for  use  the  minute  the  cor- 
respondent commences  to  dictate. 

That  constitutes  knowing  what  to  say. 

Then,  bearing  in  mind  the  principles  of  economy  of 
attention — that  what  is  to  be  said  must  be  got  to  the 
reader  so  that  he  can  economically  understand  it — the 
second  great  question — "How  can  this  result  be  ob- 
tained ?" — comes  home  to  the  correspondent. 

Words  are  the  individual  tools  with  which  a  writer 
works  out  his  task  and  must  not  only  fit  the  hand  that 
uses  them  but  must  produce  such  a  work  as  will  give 
satisfaction  to  the  receiver. 

Perhaps  the  most  common  wastage  in  the  world 
of  business  is  the  use  of  long  words  where  short  ones 
would  do  better.  The  history  of  the  English  language 
has  been  a  record  of  the  fight  between  the  plain  words 
of  the  plain  people — the  democrats  of  the  dictionary, 
homely,  simple,  and  direct — and  the  stilted,  redundant, 
roundabout  terms  of  the  leisure  class. 

Imagine  an  army  made  up  of  fifty  per  cent  gen- 
erals, colonels,  captains,  and  lieutenants!  Who  would 
do  the  fighting? 

Still  many  a  business  man  to-day  sends  out  his 
letters  just  as  badly  over-oflScered,  with  a  dispro- 
portionate number  of  oflScers — Latin  words — to  the 
total  of  fighting  men — Anglo-Saxon  words. 


B.    C.    BEAN  73 

This  form  of  wastage,  coupled  with  the  use  of  tech- 
nical terms  which  the  reader  does  not  thoroughly  un- 
Eeplacine  derstand — though  perfectly  intelligible  to 

Big  Words  the  writer — is  one  that  offers  a  great  op- 

By  Small  Ones  portunity  to  the  man  whose  style  is  not 
too  firmly  fixed.  For  if  he  will  dictate  a  small  bunch 
of  letters  and  then  carefully  go  over  them,  cutting  out 
every  big  word  wherever  possible  and  putting  a  smaller, 
more  meaty  one  in  its  place  and  note  the  gain  in 
strength  that  is  made,  he  will  become  an  immediate 
convert  to  the  eflScacy  of  the  small  word  in  the  busi- 
ness letter,  with  a  proportionate  gain  in  results. 

The  importance  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  words — the 
fighting  men — can  not  be  made  too  strong.  The  use  of 
the  word  is  to  build  the  sentence,  and  the  object  of  the 
sentence  is  to  express  thought.  Further  than  this  the 
business  sentence  desires  to  effect  something.  The 
ordinary  sentence  makes  a  statement  and  it  is  through. 
But  the  business  sentence  must  describe,  convince,  sell, 
conciliate. 

How  this  is  done  may  defy  analysis.  More  than 
this  it  usually  does. 

When  a  letter  is  read  and  stands  out  from  its  fel- 
lows because  it  is  convincing,  in  the  analysis  of  the 
causes  which  have  brought  that  conviction  the  very 
reason  that  produced  that  effect  is  bound  to  be  lost. 

This  is  because  it  is  impossible  to  dissect  style. 

One  man  is  convinced  only  by  wordy,  eloquent 
claims,  strong  pretentions,  that  style  of  disserta- 
tion in  which  the  writer  figuratively  shouts  and  ham- 
mers the  pulpit  until  the  dust  flies. 

Another  man  is  convinced  by  the  smooth,  oily,  in- 
sinuating mode  of  speech  in  which  the  writer  worms 
his  way  in  the  confidence  of  his  audience  in  the  half- 


74  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

apologetic  manner  of  the  professional  politician  solicit- 
ing a  doubtful  vote. 

Still  a  third  man  is  convinced  only  by  a  fair, 
square,  straight-from-the-shoulder  talk  which  does  not 
mince  matters  and  calls  a  spade  a  spade. 

Take  the  same  central  thought,  the  same  identical 
idea  and  dress  it  out  according  to  different  styles  and 
note  the  result.  Sonorous,  classic  Bostonese  inter- 
spersed with  Greek  and  Latin  quotations,  moving 
grandly  on  like  the  majestic  flow  of  the  Mississippi,  is 
one  extreme;  jolty,  jerky,  rag-time  American  of  the 
Chamberlain  cowboy  is  the  other. 

There  are  almost  as  many  kinds  of  written  English 
as  there  are  people  to  write.  Just  as  a  man  has  a  dis- 
tinctive way  of  thinking,  moving,  walking — so  each 
writer  has  similarly  his  manner  of  expressing  himself 
in  English. 

But  scarcely  anyone  retains  this  natural  method 
of  writing.  Nearly  everyone  has  in  mind  a  style  to  be 
imitated.  The  kinds  of  English  written  number  hun- 
dreds, though  many  of  these  may  be  brought  into  a 
relatively  small  number  of  groups. 

Literary  English  is  the  English  of  the  schools  and 
colleges.  Precise,  grammatically  perfect,  written  for 
the  most  part  by  men  trained  to  observe 
EngSsh  ^^^  traditions  of  the  language  at  whatever 

cost,  it  is  the  first  style  that  influences  the 
letter  writer,  being  the  style  that  he  is  taught  in  his 
early  school  days,  when  the  mind  is  in  its  formative 
stage  and  still  retentive  of  early  impressions. 

But  literary  English  usually  lacks  life.  It  is  the 
freight  of  thought  when  the  business  man  needs  the 
limited — a  slow  moving  train  having  too  many  char- 
acteristics of  the  ox-caravan. 


B.   C.    BEAN  75 

In  the  last  decade  a  form  of  writing  has  sprung 
into  prominence  that  is  commonly  known  as  advertising 
Adver-  English.    This  has  undergone  many  modi- 

tising  fications  and  has  many  different  styles. 

EnguBii  rpjjg  prevailing  idea  nowadays  especially 

among  those  who  are  not  familiar  with  the  subject,  is 
that  advertising  English  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than 
''smart,"  snappy  English.  This  comes  from  the  fact 
that  the  advertisers  who  get  the  best  results — results 
which  show  big  on  the  key-sheet  and  order  book — 
almost  invariably  use  the  salesmanship  style,  not  the 
publicity  style  of  advertising  English.  This  style  treats 
the  subject  from  the  standpoint  of  the  salesman  and 
goes  after  the  prospective  customer  in  just  the  same 
way  and  uses  the  same  methods  as  the  salesman  does  in 
approaching  his  prospect. 

And  this, 'the  salesmanship  style — contrary  to  gen- 
eral opinion — does  not  lean  so  heavily  on  its  'smart- 
ness" and  snappiness  as  it  does  its  logical  arrange- 
ment of  ideas.  The  smartness  of  expression  is  an  inci- 
dent rather  than  a  means. 

The  letter — particularly  the  sales  letter — is  a  per- 
sonal advertisement.  It  too,  must  secure  attention, 
present  its  argument  and  clinch  what  it  submits  or  it 
does  not  completely  fulfil  its  purpose.  This  is  what 
the  "salesmanship"  school  of  writers  contend,  and  there 
seems  to  be  every  argument  to  back  the  claim. 

Advertising  English  is  worthy  of  most  careful 
study  by  every  business  man,  particularly  if  he  be  con- 
cerned in  the  disposal  of  any  product  by  mail. 

"Newspaper  English"  is  a  term  often  used  in  a 
derogatory  sense,  though  there  is  no  reason  why  this 
should  be.  Newspapers  are  gotten  out  at  a  high  rate 
of  speed  and  the  preparation  of  the  copy  demands  the 


76  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

services  of  a  forceful  writer  who  can  write  accurately 
and  fast.  Rapidity  is  the  great  essential,  especially  on 
the  daily  press  and  the  English  of  the  newspapers  corn- 
Hews-  pares  very  favorably  with  that  of  more 
paper  labored  productions.  The  faults  of  news- 
English  paper  English  are  those  that  naturally 
come  from  an  effort  to  fill  space — the  use  of  a  "padded" 
style  and  big  words. 

Constant  reading  of  the  daily  press  causes  the 
correspondent  to  imitate  unconsciously  the  newspaper 
style,  but  he  seldom  becomes  master  of  it  as  he  does 
not  use  it  as  much  as  the  newspaper  writer  or  under  the 
same  conditions. 

A  style  of  English  that  is  the  farthest  removed 
from  sane,  logical  English  is  law  English.  This  style 
is  the  outgrowth  of  the  idea  that  to  ex- 
English  press  anything  in  simple  language  was  to 
make  it  understandable  to  the  masses  and 
consequently  the  services  of  an  attorney  could  be  dis- 
pensed with  when  it  came  to  its  interpretation.  One 
has  but  to  read  the  simplest  thought  translated  into 
legal  parlance  and  unintelligible  law  Latin  to  realize 
fully  the  waste,  the  cumbrousness,  the  futility  of  law 
English.  If  A  wishes  to  deed  B  a  piece  of  land,  it  is 
necessary  that  A  has  "granted,  bargained,  sold,  aliened, 
remised,  released,  conveyed  and  confirmed  and  by  those 
presents  does  grant,  bargain,  sell,  aliene,  remise,  re- 
lease, convey  and  confirm" — in  other  words  sells  B. 

Readers  of  *' Tristram  Shandy*'  will  remember  how 
after  taking  several  closely  printed  pages,  to  present 
Mrs.  Shandy's  marriage  settlement,  Sterne  sums  it  up 
**in  three  words"  at  the  close. 

To-day  correspondence  English  as  in  use  is  a  hybrid 
of  law  English  and  advertising  English.     The  cumber- 


B.    C.    BEAN  77 

some,  meaningless,  and  useless  terms  of  law  English  are 
retained  in  spots  throughout  the  letter.  The  saluta- 
tion, with  its  "Dear  Sir,"  the  opening  paragraph  with. 

Corre-  ^^^  "^^  have  your  favor  of date  and 

spondence  in  reply  would  state;"  the  vapid,  compli- 

^  ^  mentary  close,  "Yours  very  truly,"  are  all 

relics  of  law  English,  and  the  time  when  letters  were 
events  in  a  life,  written  with  a  quill  pen,  sealed  with  seal- 
ing wax  and  sent  at  a  cost  of  twenty-five  cents  per  piece. 

That  is  what  the  English  of  ordinary  business  cor- 
respondence is.  What  it  should  be  is  courteous,  easy, 
expressive,  and  forcible  language. 

How  this  may  be  secured  is  what  is  of  interest. 

To  secure  correct  and  compelling  language  there 
is  one  sure  method.  This  is  entirely  by  the  imitative 
yj^g  plan.  There  are  two  methods  of  acquiring 

Imitative  a  foreign  language,  one  by  learning  the 

ettod  rules  of  grammar,  the  other  by  imitating 

the  speech  of  those  who  speak  that  language.  The  first 
is  the  artificial  method,  the  second  the  natural.  Take  a 
specific  instance :  Suppose  a  busy  man  has  always  dic- 
tated his  letters  in  traditional  style,  having  been  afraid 
to  break  away  from  this  style,  although  he  wishes  to 
do  so.  To  acquire  correspondency  English  is  almost 
as  great  an  undertaking  for  him  as  though  he  were  to 
learn  a  new  language.  He  must  tear  up  his  old  ideas 
by  the  roots  and  transplant  them  to  a  soil  with  which 
he  is  not  familiar.  He  can  do  this  by  the  imitative 
method,  by  using  the  letters  of  good  letter  writers  as  a 
guide,  modeling  his  correspondence  after  them  and  pro- 
ducing a  letter  that  should  be  better  than  the  one  which 
he  imitated,  for  the  reason  that  he  has  the  benefit  of  the 
experience  of  those  who  have  gone  before  and  can  build 
upon  the  foundation  that  they  have  laid. 


78  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

Regarding  an  important  subject  one  apologist  says : 

*'There  is  a  great  deal  of  discussion  nowadays  going 
the  rounds  of  the  business  press  as  to  idea  theft.  The 
artist  studies  for  a  long  time  on  a  design,  a  letter,  or 
it  may  be  the  turn  of  a  word  or  phrase :  uses  it  and  has 
no  sooner  turned  it  loose  upon  the  world,  than  some 
one  appropriates  this  idea  and  fits  it  to  substantially 
the  same  or  perhajis  another  use.  Disregarding  the 
right  or  wrong  of  the  matter,  this  is  the  way  all  pro- 
gress comes.  Besides  there  is  truly  nothing  new  under 
the  sun  and  just  as  Mark  Twain's  jumping  frog  story 
is  to  be  found  in  the  original  Greek,  so  there  is  very 
little  newness  exhibited  by  the  so-called  new  ideas. 

So-called  idea  theft  has  the  advantage  of  utility, 
and  is  a  direct  example  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest.'* 

To  work  out  the  imitative  method  there  should  be 
taken  as  a  basis,  the  idea  book.  This  book  should  be 
^j^g  the  receptacle  for  all  ideas,  whether  orig- 

"idea  inal,  "improved,"  or  stolen  bodily.     If  a 

Library"  particular   style  of  stationery   strikes  a 

man  as  being  adapted  to  his  particular  use,  he  should 
make  entry  accordingly.  If  a  certain  letter  comes  to 
the  desk  with  the  imprint  of  a  master  hand,  and  having 
all  the  ear-marks  that  stamp  it  as  being  desirable,  he 
analyzes  the  production,  picks  out  its  good  points  and 
records  them  in  the  idea  book.  If  a  thought  seems  to 
be  a  good  argument  to  be  used  in  a  letter  campaign, 
jotted  down  and  transferred  immediately  to  the  idea 
book,  "it  will  come  in  play'*  eventually. 

Besides  this,  the  letter-writer's  library  should  con- 
tain a  number  of  other  works  for  constant  reference. 
These  will  be  all  the  more  valuable  because  they  are 
made  up  on  the  selective  plan,  representing  the  honey 
of  business  ideas  culled  from  thousands  of  sources. 


B.    C.    BEAN  79 

A  scrap  book  for  letters,  particularly  for  circular 
letters,  with  the  strong  points  underlined  and  marked 
up,  is  an  excellent  guide.  In  these  da^^s  of  form  letters  a 
hundred  excellent  letters  can  be  obtained  in  compara- 
tively short  time  and  should  always  be  at  hand  for 
reference. 

Besides  the  scrap  book  for  letters  entire,  a  para- 
graph book  should  always  be  at  hand,  made  up  of  such 
paragraphs  as  may  be  used  as  desired.  Good  para- 
graphs— like  good  literature  of  all  kinds — do  not  hap- 
pen ;  they  result  after  having  been  thought  over,  studied 
over,  and  worked  over. 

Besides  the  paragraph  book  a  small  note  book  for 
recording  apt  and  forceful  phrases  is  in  order.  There 
Importance  ^^^  phrases  in  the  English  language  that 
of  Forceful  express  more  than  volumes — "line,  telling 
Phrases  phrases  that  will  carry  true,"  every  time. 

These  should  be  used — studied — patterned  after.  Be- 
sides these  are  the  "tumbled-over  phrases,  worn  and 
blunted  by  excessive  use,"  these  should  be  avoided  as 
shopworn  goods.  In  the  ''thirst  for  the  unhackney 
epithet"  the  little  phrase  book  will  be  a  ready  fount 
from  which  to  draw.  The  power  of  the  language  in 
fact  may  be  said  to  lie  in  the  aptness  of  the  phrases 
making  up  the  sentences.  Neither  do  these  phrases 
^'happen."  They  are  the  result  of  careful  study  and 
work  and  are  the  greatest  form  of  economy  in  forceful, 
compelling  English. 

In  the  phrase  book  too  will  be  noted  two  classes 
of  words,  those  ''hot  from  the  verbal  foundry"  and  those 
"exhausted  by  hard  work."  Both  should  be  avoided 
except  where  a  word  has  been  coined  or  adopted  as  a 
sort  of  trade  mark.  In  this  case  a  brand  new  epithet 
may  be  made  most  telling. 


80  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

Beside  the  phrase  book,  the  general  style  book — 
more,  however,  for  reference  for  the  stenographer  than 
as  a  guide  to  the  dictator — should  be  a  part  of  the 
working  library.  There  is  nothing  sacred  about  style, 
but  there  should  be  uniformity  in  the  use  of  the  punctu- 
ation, capitalization,  spelling,  and  the  minor  points 
that  go  to  make  up  the  best  English. 

Such  points  of  style  as  govern  the  business  corre- 
spondence of  an  office,  systematically  arranged  will 
prevent  a  great  number  of  commonplace  mistakes  when 
a  new  stenographer  is  hired,  and  even  prove  of  worth 
to  the  dictator  when  some  minor  point  is  under  con- 
sideration. 

These  five  books,  the  "idea  book,"  the  "circular 
letter  book,"  the  "paragraph  book,"  the  ^'phrase  and 
word  book,"  and  the  general  "style  book,"  make  up  a 
working  library  of  the  most  value  because,  being  com- 
piled by  the  man  who  is  to  use  them  they  will  collec- 
tively contain  what  he  needs  in  day-to-day  use.  Then, 
too,  they  represent  a  wealth  of  incidental  as  well  as 
direct  suggestion. 

Taking  a  scries  of  ads,  say  of  a  concern  starting 
business  in  a  small  way,  these  will  show  by  their  in- 
crease in  size,  the  success  of  the  enterprise ;  by  changes 
in  style  and  phraseology,  the  faults  of  English;  and 
similarly  furnish  a  wealth  of  information  only  neces- 
sary to  be  deduced  to  be  of  exact  worth. 

As  far  as  the  imitative  part  of  the  work  goes  this 
much  of  a  library  literally  does  the  business.  Think  of 
the  valuable  points  that  will  be  gathered  from  the  four 
corners  of  the  globe  by  the  correspondent  handling 
thousands  of  letters  weekly,  for  a  period  of  years  and 
at  the  same  time  religiously  keeping  up  his  library  of 
good  things! 


B.    C.    BEAN  81 

In  the  commercial  game,  words,  phrases,  and 
styles  are  thrown  among  the  discards  daily  and  the 
Fashions  writer  must  "draw  cards"  to  get  a  new 

in  hand  when  he  wishes  to  make  a  new  bet. 

Words  -g^^  g^  ^g^  ^g^yg  ago  "style"  was  the  word; 

"latest  styles,"  "New  York  styles,"  "Paris  styles,"  now 
"mode"  has  taken  its  place  to  be  supplanted  to-morrow 
by  a  word  temporarily  more  "modish."  "Quality"  in 
its  adjective  use  is  now  being  hard-worked,  "quality 
shoes,"  "quality  clothes,"  "quality  beer,"  and  so  on, 
and  soon  "quality"  will  be  relegated  to  the  ash-heap 
along  with  "strenuous." 

The  indefinite  something  which  gives  force  is  not 
to  be  subordinated  to  grammar,  but  rather  should  work 
with  it ;  for  a  truth  forcefully  expressed  gains  if  it  be 
grammatically  stated.  But  if  a  rule  of  grammar  stands 
in  the  way  of  utility,  the  experienced  correspondent 
sacrifices  grammar  nine  times  out  of  ten.  A  "rule"  in 
the  path  of  progress  is  bound  to  fare  as  in  the  hypo- 
thetical case  of  the  cow  in  the  way  of  the  locomotive. 
Quoting  Stephenson,  "It  will  be  bad  for  the  coo !" 

The  forceful  writer  of  business  English  has  per^ 
haps  done  more  to  cleanse  the  language  of  many  gram- 
matical barnacles  than  perhaps  any  other  class  of 
writers.  If  "to  thoroughly  understand"  is  more  force- 
ful  than  "thoroughly  to  understand,"  the  business 
writer  uses  it,  and  the  utility  of  the  phrase  offsets  the 
wail  of  the  purist.  If  "He  graduated  in  1891,"  is  more 
expressive  than,  "He  was  graduated  in  1891,"  "gradu- 
ated" goes,  particularly  as  the  dictionaries  authorize 
it.  Shakespere,  striving  for  stage-effectiveness  was 
always  willing  to  sacrifice  grammar  to  utility.  As  the 
old  sales  manager  aptly  put  it,  "The  diction  of  a  Mil- 
6 


82  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

ton,  unbacked  by  force  and  logic,  won't  sell  Bill  Jones 
goods,  and  what  we  want  is  Bill's  order." 

The  letter  once  written  it  should  be  "tried."  Just 
as  the  mason  tries  the  hewed  stone  with  his  square  to 
see  whether  or  not  it  is  according  to  specifications — so 
all  letters  should  be  tried  by  the  try  square  of  English 
and  the  try  square  of  results.  These  two  tests — when 
the  workmamhip  is  perfect — will  coincide. 

Looking  at  a  letter  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
outside  person  and  not  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
writer,  the  correspondent  must  get  away  from  his  point 
of  view  and  get  to  the  point  of  view  of  the  other  man. 
He  must  ask  himself  these  questions : 

Does  the  letter  have  the  idea  to  start  with — the 
backbone  ? 

Does  it  impress  this  idea  simply,  forcefully,  and 
convincingly? 

And  lastly,  would  it  convince  you? 

The  answer  to  this  group  of  questions  is  the  se- 
verest test  that  a  letter  can  undergo  before  it  leaves  the 
writer's  presence.  And  a  pair  of  aflSrmatives  makes 
"openers,"  and  three  "Yes's"  a  winning  hand. 


PART  II 

DEPARTMENTAL  CORRE 
SPONDENCE 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  FORM  LETTER 

BY  C.  A.  BURT 

Every  other  letter  mailed  in  the  United  States  in 
a  process  letter. 

This — better  than  pages  of  dissertation — shows 
the  importance  of  the  form  letter. 

The  same  conditions  which  demanded  rapid  pro- 
cesses in  getting  out  all  forms  of  printed  matter  are 
the  ones  to  which  the  American  business  man  is  in- 
debted for  the  form  letter.  The  ever-present  push  for 
speed — for  greater  rapidity  in  the  transmission  of 
both  spoken  and  written  speech,  has  been  met  by  the 
telephone,  the  perfecting  press,  the  typewriter,  and  the 
form  letter.  The  old,  slow  methods  simply  would  not 
do. 

Rapidity  and  economy  are  the  things  considered 
when  a  number  of  letters  are  to  be  duplicated.  The 
average  stenographer  will  get  out  from  fifty  to  one 
hundred  duplicate  page  letters  in  a  day  of  eight  hours, 
at  a  cost  of,  say,  two  dollars.  In  the  same  time  and 
at  the  same  salary  cost,  five  thousand  letters  or  more 
may  be  made  ready  for  the  envelope. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  demonstrate  to  the  business 
man_the  necessity  of  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  process  letter.  Most  mercantile  houses 
are  now  developing  a  mail-order  branch  and  those  not 
looking  for  trade  along  the  letter  line  are  looking  for 
some  means  to  check  the  inroads  of  the  houses  that  are. 

Except  in  a  few  isolated  and  non-typical  cases  the 
85 


S6  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

form  letter  alone  will  not  get  business.  The  form  let- 
ter is  a  part — the  most  important  part — of  a  business 
campaign  bj  mail,  the  remaining  elements  being  merely 
helpers. 

To  get  profitable  returns  from  a  form  letter  cam- 
paign demands  attention  to 

(1)  The  copy. 

(2)  Relation  of  the  letter  to  the  general  business 
campaign. 

(3)  The  mechanical  side  of  the  letter. 

(4)  The  routine  or  working  machinery  of  the  form 
letter  campaign. 

The  general  rules  governing  the  preparation  of  all 
correspondence  copy  are  the  ones  affecting  copy  for  the 
form  letter.  Good  form  letter  copy  is  nothing  but  the 
most  forceful  and  diplomatic  expression  of  what  it  is 
desired  to  say  as  treated  in  Chapter  I,  VI  and  VIII. 

As  before  stated,  the  form  letter  is  or  may  be 
used  in  the  various  departments  of  a  business  wher- 
ever speed  and  economy  demand.  A  business  organiza- 
tion is  made  up  of  various  departments  bearing  cer- 
tain relations  to  each  other,  and  the  form  letter,  used 
as  it  is  in  each,  is  commonly  of  itself  or  in  a  series,  a 
departmental  unit — a  part  of  the  logical  business 
policy.  There  is  no  department  in  fact,  be  it  that 
of  advertising — sales — complaint — or  collections — but 
leans  heavily  on  the  form  letter. 

Both  the  complaint  and  the  collection  departments 
are  so  distinct  that  the  unital  relation  of  the  form  let- 
The  Form  Let-  ^^^  ^^  ^^^  department  coincides  with  its 
ter  and  other  relation  to  the  general  business  scheme. 
Departments  j^^^  ^^  ^^^  advertising  department  and  in 
the  sales  department,  when  these  two  are  interrelated 
— and  in  what  extensive  business  are  they  not? — the 


C.    A.    BURT  87 

relation  of  the  form  letter  to  the  general  and  specific 
advertising  matter  is  seldom  worked  out  carefully 
enough.  Arguments  are  placed  in  the  follow-ups  that 
belong  in  the  advertising  matter;  logical  development 
is  not  maintained  in  the  series — often  being  also  lack' 
ing  in  the  follow-up;  promises  are  made  in  the  adver 
tising  literature  not  fully  taken  care  of  by  the  forms, 
and  the  principles  of  unity  are  violated  only  with  a 
corresponding  loss  of  efficiency. 

As  a  specific  example,  there  is  a  class  of  this  ''lost 
motion"  not  often  given  much  consideration;  i.  e.,  the 
relation  between  (1)  the  advertisement  or  advertise 
ments  which  make  the  first  appeal  to  the  prospect;  (2) 
the  form  reply  letter  and  its  accompanying  follow-ups, 
and  (3)  the  booklet.  It  is  possible  and  always  prac- 
ticable to  have  the  strong  appeal,  the  main  thought, 
the  central  idea  run,  like  a  thread  of  gold,  through  all 
three — this  being  in  fact  the  keynote  to  the  busines*. 

In  any  series,  as  this,  there  is  a  place  for  the 
main  argument — the  big  guns;  for  the  auxiliary  argu- 
ments— the  small  shot,  and  for  the  close — the  capitu- 
lation and  signing  of  the  treaty. 

Unlike  the  keynote  or  main  thought,  there  is  but 
one  place  for  the  closing  point.  It  should  not  be  weak- 
saies  Argument  ^^^^  ^^  repetition.  It  should  depend  to 
-Where  Logic-  a  large  extent  on  the  size  of  the  proposi- 
ai  y  Placed  Hon^  where  the  main  argument  is  made. 
As  a  general  statement,  if  the  proposition  is  a  small 
one,  the  sale  must  be  made  or  as  nearly  made  as  pos- 
sible in  the  advertisement  itself.  The  expense  and 
time  necessary  to  finish  up  the  sale  by  correspondence 
eats  so  far  into  the  profit  that  if  the  deal  is  not  closed 
off  by  the  advertisement  there  is  an  immediate  money 
loss.    Under  these  circumstances,  what  the  form  letter 


88  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

and  booklet  can  do,  is  to  secure  more  business. 
Granted  that  the  customer  is  pleased,  as  he  is  bound 
to  be  if  the  advertisement  was  a  fair  one,  the  form 
letter  becomes  a  powerful  means,  going  to  a  pleased 
customer,  of  effecting  an  extension  of  patronage.  In- 
deed so  valuable  is  this  feature  considered  by  many 
houses  that  the  first  sale  is  actually  made  at  a  loss, 
secure  in  the  knowledge  that  the  form  letter  going  to 
^n  "interested  list"  will  give  rise  to  a  relationship 
profitable  in  the  extreme. 

Where  the  proposition  is  a  large  one,  the  function 
of  the  advertisement  is  merely  to  arouse  interest  and 
get  a  reply — not  an  order.  This  means  that  the  letter 
follows  up  the  inquiry,  strengthening  the  interest  and 
completing  the  sale,  the  booklet  being  subordinate  to 
the  letter  and  being  thrown  in  for  inspiration,  infor- 
mation, or  good  measure.  Perhaps  this  class  embraces 
the  largest  number  of  business  deals,  and  it  is  in  this 
class  that  the  letter  stands  as  regards  importance, 
ninety  per  cent  in  a  scale  of  one  hundred. 

When  it  is  thoroughly  understood  that  the  corre- 
spondent must  turn  his  inquiries  into  orders,  it  means 
that  the  letter  is  the  thing  with  which  to  do  it.  The 
letter  must  contain  just  as  much  sales  argument  as 
the  prospect  will  read  and  maintain  an  interest  in. 
If  the  inquiries  are  uniform  the  form  letter  will  be  the 
uniform  answer  to  each;  indeed,  if  they  are  not  uni- 
form it  is  commonly  possible  to  have  forms  in  such 
number  that  nearly  every  possible  contingency  will  be 
covered. 

The  advantage  of  placing  the  telling  arguments 
in  the  letter,  instead  of  in  the  advertisement  or  the 
booklet,  is  that  the  letter  is  much  more  personal  than 
either  of  the  other  two  can  be  made.    Then,  too,  the 


C.    A.    BURT  89 

letter,  if  thought  worthy  of  consideration  at  all,  goes 

in  the  files  and  is  available  for  reference  long  after 

the  advertisement  is  out  of  date  and  after  the  booklet 

„  -  has  been  mislaid.     This  is  sufficient  ex- 

vame 

of  the  planation  for  the  rule  of  many  form  letter 

Letter  writers  to  make  the  form  letter  a  concise 

summary  of  the  entire  proposition — a  confirmation  of 
all  the  statements  necessary  for  permanent  record. 
This  centers  the  importance  in  the  letter  and  at  the 
same  time  demands  that  there  must  be  perfect  unity 
between  the  three  parts,  the  advertisement,  the  letter, 
and  the  booklet.  In  order  to  get  this  unity  all  three 
should  be  prepared  by  the  same  man  or  by  men  work- 
ing together  with  a  thorough  understanding  of  just 
what  territory  is  to  be  allotted  to  each. 

It  often  happens  that  in  preparing  the  advertise- 
ment that  the  copy-writer  introduces  matter  that  of 
right  belongs  in  either  the  letter  or  the 
pS^"  booklet.     This  is  one  of  the  worst  forms 

of  advertising  waste.  If  it  is  the  object 
of  the  advertisement  to  secure  inquiries  only  such 
points  should  be  introduced  as  will  act  in  sequence  in 
getting  the  inquiry,  trusting  to  the  correspondence  to 
close.  It  should  be  determined  what  arguments  are 
strong  enough  to  bear  repetition  and  which  are  to  be 
the  exclusive  property  of  either  of  the  three  divisions 
of  the  campaign.  There  should  be  no  inadvertent  lap 
of  ideas,  or  ideas  out  of  sequence. 

There  is  a  class  of  sales  that  can  not  be  made  by 
the  letter  except  in  close  conjunction  with  the  book- 
Supplementing  ^^*-  "^^^^  condition  exists  where  a  large 
the  amount    of    descriptive    material    which 

Booklet  would   be   out   of  place   in   a  letter,   is 

needed ;  where  it  is  necessary  to  provide  a  large  amount 


90  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

of  inspirational  matter  that  would  interfere  with  the 
practical,  hard-headed  side  of  the  communication.  As 
an  example  of  the  first  any  firm  handling  a  product 
that  calls  for  an  extensive  description  as  complicated 
machinery  or  any  product  of  that  class  the  advertise- 
ment attracts  attention,  the  letter  gives  the  specific 
points  of  superiority  and  the  booklet  furnishes  the 
descriptive  matter. 

Having  determined  on  what  the  copy  is  to  be  and 
what  part  of  the  general  business  scheme  the  letter  is 
to  form,  the  next  concern  is  mechanical  production. 

The  matter  of  mechanical  production  is  more  than 
it  seems  on  the  face,  as  underlying  the  mere  mechaui- 
Mechanical  ^^^  details— the  typographical  appear- 
Make-up  ance  or  composition,  is  the  oft-discussed 

eceit  question    of    deceit    in    process    letters. 

Much  of  this  discussion  has  been  along  an  unpro- 
ductive line,  as  to  whether  or  not  the  recipient  's  so 
befooled  upon  receipt  of  the  letter  as  to  believe  that 
he  is  receiving  a  personal  communication.  This  is  not 
the  vital  point  at  all.  The  most  important  is  the  same 
in  the  form  letter  as  it  is  in  every  other  communica- 
tion. Does  it  do  the  thing  it  starts  out  to  do?  Results 
—not  deceit — is  the  test.  The  fact  that  a  well  gotten 
up  process  letter  resembles  in  every  detail  the  best 
class  of  personal  communications,  has  led  many  to 
believe  that  because  the  one  addressed  believed  that  it 
was  a  personal,  not  a  form  communication,  was  respon- 
sible for  its  success,  when  it  was  successful.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  successful  results  came,  not  from 
the  deceit,  but  from  perfection  from  a  mechanical 
standpoint  and  corresponding  other  excellencies. 

Mechanical  perfection  in  the  form  letter  is  gov- 
erned by  the  same  rules  as  that  of  the  mechanical  make- 


C.   A.    BURT  91 

up  of  any  letter.  If  it  is  to  be  an  imitation  of  a  type- 
written letter  let  it  be  a  good  imitation.  The  "fill- 
ins"  should  match  exactly,  the  characteristic  uneven 
appearance  should  be  prominent,  the  signature  and  a 
correction  or  two  should  be  in  handwriting  and  the 
production,  viewed  as  a  whole,  should  have  that  inde- 
finable something  which  the  personal  typewritten  let- 
ter has  and  the  process  letter  so  often  has  not. 

The  mechanical  side  of  the  form  letter  the  best 
that  circumstances  warrant  the  working  machinery  of 
the  form  letter  campaign  is  the  last  step. 

Before  a  process  letter  is  turned  loose  upon  the 
world  it  should  be  subjected  to  a  thorough  "try-out." 

The  subject  of  "try-outs"  is  not  thoroughly  under- 
stood by  the  ordinary  business  man.  In  fact  a  large 
number  have  no  particular  idea  that  there  is  such  a 
thing  as  a  successful  means  of  "trying  out"  circular 
letters.  By  "trying  out"  is  meant  specifically,  in  cir- 
cularization,  the  act  of  making  up  and  putting  through 
the  regular  course,  a  letter  or  a  number  of  letters  for 
the  purpose  of  determining  specific  or  relative  values. 

There  are  several  methods  of  "trying  out."  The 
best  illustration  can  be  given  by  the  aid  of  a  theoreti- 
A  Specific  ^^^  ^^^^'     ^iippose  that  a  firm  has  an 

Method  article,  book,  or  device  which  they  wish 

Illustrated  ^^  ^^^^.^  before  the  millinery  trade.  From 
their  experience  with  advertising — or  for  any  of  other 
various  reasons — they  decide  to  circularize  every  milli- 
nery firm  in  the  United  States.  There  are  in  round 
numbers  10,000  people  to  be  reached  in  this  way  in  the 
United  States.  As  a  preliminary  step  they  have  pre- 
pared ten  letters,  by  one  or  perhaps  half  a  dozen  dif- 
ferent men.  Each  letter  is  given  as  much  individu- 
ality as  possible,  and  is  as  distinct  from  the  others  in 


92  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

wording  and  appeal  as  can  well  be  made.  In  order 
to  make  a  fair  trial  the  letters  should  all  be  made  up 
by  the  same  process  as  is  to  be  used  on  the  entire 
10,000.  If  different  processes  are  used  on  the  trial 
letters,  the  same  letter  should  be  made  up  by  different 
processes,  as  the  process  may  have  a  great  deal  to  do 
with  the  pulling  power.  For  instance,  if  these  trial 
letters  are  written  on  the  typewriter,  thus  bearing  the 
impress  of  genuineness,  and  later  the  same  letters  were 
sent  out,  plainly  a  form,  instead  of  a  personal  letter, 
the  difference  in  result  might  be  marked. 

The  letters  therefore,  ten  in  number  and  written 
the  best  that  it  is  possible  to  be,  are  made  up  in  lots 
of  one  hundred  for  each  series. 

The  next  problem  before  the  "try-out"  man  is  to 

whom  he  shall  send  the  letters  in  order  to  constitute 

a  fair  trial.     If  the  list  is  the  United 

Til  A 

jjg^  states  list  and  he  wishes  to  mak6  a  quick 

trial,  there  are  two  difficulties  to  contend 
with.  The  first  one  is  the  matter  of  geographic  posi- 
tion and  the  second  one  a  matter  of  time.  If  his  list 
of  names  embraces  the  entire  United  States,  it  is  pos- 
sible that  his  proposition  will  appeal  to  the  people  in 
certain  localities  and  be  passed  by  by  the  people  in 
other  places. 

As  regards  the  matter  of  time,  there  is  this  objec- 
tion :  If  the  circularizer  is  putting  out  his  mail  from 
New  York  and  letters  are  going  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
results  will  not  be  in  in  time  to  tabulate  them  to 
advantage. 

To  avoid  all  discrepancies  of  this  kind,  the  ten 
lists  should  be  as  like  in  character  as  it  is  possible  to 
make  them.  One  method  of  making  out  try  out  lists  is 
to  arrange  the  whole  lot  alphabetically  and  take  the 


C.    A.    BURT  9S 

first  one  hundred  names  for  the  first  letter ;  the  second 
one  hundred  in  the  list  for  the  second  letter,  and  so 
on  until  one  thousand  letters  have  been  put  out.  An- 
Howto  other  plan  calls  for  more  care  and  is  usu- 

Makea  ally  a  better  indication  of  the  relative 

Fair  Test  values  of  the  letters.     This  is  where  the 

lists  are  made  up  as  near  alike  as  possible;  for  in- 
stance, the  entire  state  of  Illinois  is  tried  by  the  let- 
ters, and  it  will  be  no  more  than  fair  to  assume  from 
the  results  that  the  conditions  are  substantially  the 
same  in  the  remainder  of  the  United  States  as  in  Illi- 
nois. Also  the  character  of  the  different  lists  will  be 
so  nearly  alike  that  the  relative  pulling  power  of  the 
letters  will  be  better  determined. 

The  letters  having  been  mailed,  returns  are  awaited 
for  careful  tabulation.  If  it  has  been  stated  in  the 
letter  that  it  is  necessary  to  answer  it  within  ten  days, 
in  order  to  secure  a  certain  discount  or  to  receive  some 
other  specific  reward,  it  is  probable  that  the  worth  of 
the  letter  can  be  demonstrated  at  once,  as  this  will  cut 
down  the  deferred  replies  greatly.  Of  the  ten  differ- 
ent letters  it  will  be  found  that  two  or  three  are 
strongly  in  the  lead  of  the  remainder  as  regards  re- 
sults and  the  number  of  satisfactory  answers.  If  one 
of  these  letters  is  far  in  advance  of  the  rest  and  shows 
unmistakably  that  it  is  the  only  one  of  the  lot  that 
should  be  considered,  the  rest  should  be  dropped  and 
the  circularization  completed  by  the  use  of  this  letter. 
If  three  or  four  of  the  letters  should  prove  to  be  the 
most  effective,  they  should  continue  to  be  used  for  a 
second  trial,  if  there  is  time,  after  having  been  strength- 
ened by  any  means  possible.  It  may  be  found  on  sec- 
ond trial  that  these  three  or  four  letters  will  pull 
about  the  same  amount  of  business.    Then  those  send- 


94  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

ing  them  out  must  use  their  judgment  as  to  whether 
to  combine  the  arguments  and  main  points  in  the  suc- 
cessful letters  into  one  letter,  and  try  that  out,  or 
whether  to  use  two  or  three  different  ones.  Usually 
however,  at  this  point,  the  three  or  four  letters  are 
combined  in  one;  the  strong  points  of  each  being  taken 
and  arranged  and  the  entire  list  is  circularized  with 
this  letter.  Such  in  brief,  is  the  method  of  "trying 
out.'' 

It  must  always  be  remembered  that  moditied  con- 
ditions hold  good  in  the  trial.  For  instance,  in  cer- 
infiuenceof  ^^^°  Unes  the  difference  of  a  few  weeks 
Modifying  makes  seventy -five  per  cent  difference  in 

Conditions  ^^^  returns  of  a  letter.     In  other  words, 

in  order  to  be  effective  it  must  be  timely.  No  matter 
how  good  the  proposition,  books  can  not  be  sold  in 
summer  time,  and  every  other  line  has  its  season  as 
well.  Therefore  one  of  the  requisites  of  the  trial  is 
that  it  be  sprung  just  as  the  season  opens,  so  that 
there  will  be  no  loss  in  case  it  takes  longer  to  try  out 
than  anticipated. 

Trying  out  letters  in  answer  to  inquiries,  is  a 
more  diflBcult  and  complicated  matter.  Suppose  that 
Answering  ^°^  thousand  answ^ers  have  been  made  to 
Inquiries  a  number  of  advertisements  in  the  vari- 

with  Forms  ^^^  magazines,  covering  a  proposition  ol 
say  150.00.  These  inquiries  will  vary  in  style,  and 
may  be  rated  from  their  appearance,  as  the  first  class, 
fair,  and  poor.  First  class  inquiries  will  comprise 
those  that  are  well  written,  the  stationery  denoting  a 
line  which  is  interested,  and  liable  to  take  up  the  par- 
ticular proposition  that  is  being  offered,  and  in  other 
ways  bearing  that  indefinable  ear-marks  which  distin- 
guish a  good  prospective  customer  from  a  poor.   Class 


C.    A.    BURT  95 

two,  the  fair  prospects,  will  be  those  that  have  the 
same  characteristics  of  class  one,  but  to  a  much  less 
degree.  Class  three,  the  poor  prospects,  will  embrace 
the  curiosity  seeking  class  who  answer  every  magazine 
advertisement ;  school  boys  and  school  girls ;  those  who 
want  picture  catalogues,  and  those  who  misunderstand 
the  proposition  and  think  it  is  a  chance  to  get  some- 
thing for  nothing,  or  is  otherwise  a  rapid  guide  to 
wealth  without  work. 

This  gives  us  three  distinct  classes  for  trying  out. 
It  is  usually  not  necessary  to  prepare  as  many  letters 
on  inquiry  try  outs  as  on  a  list  of  names.  The  reason 
for  this  is  that  the  interest  of  the  prospect  has  already 
been  aroused.  He  has  seen  the  advertisement  and  it 
is  supposed  is  willing  to  do  business.  The  letter  then 
becomes  merely  a  question  of  salesmanship,  and  it  is 
not  necessary  to  arouse  his  interest.  That  has  been 
already  done  by  the  advertisement. 

The  inquiries  as  they  come  in  are  sorted  as  to  the 
class  in  which  they  presumably  go.  If  five  different 
kinds  of  letters  are  to  be  used  in  answering,  substan- 
tially the  same  methods  are  used  as  in  the  circular 
trial.  The  one  day's  replies  are  arranged  alphabeti- 
cally. This  class  may  be"  either  indicated  by  making 
separate  lists  or  by  making  one  list  and  marking  them 
"A,"  "B,"  and  "C,"  according  to  the  class  in  which 
they  come.  Results  are  arranged  and  tabulated  as 
before. 

The  try  out  is  not  limited  alone  to  methods  of 
finding  out  the  value  of  circular  letters.    By  extension 

other  Uses  ^*  ^^^  ^®  "^^^  ^^  determine  the  relative 
of  the  value  of  various  advertising  policies.    The 

Try  Out  comparative  worth  of  specific  advertising 

schemes  and  in  general  any  methods  that  are  capable 


96  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

of  exact  demonstration.  One  of  the  most  novel  forms 
of  try  out  is  that  used  by  a  manufacturer  who  had 
his  doubts  as  to  the  value  of  two  kinds  of  advertising, 
the  general  or  the  publicity  style,  and  the  specific  or 
salesmanship  style,  and  the  combination  of  the  two. 
This  manufacturer  took  three  states  substantially  alike 
as  to  the  conditions  for  effecting  the  marketing  of  his 
product,  and  thoroughly  tried  the  three  different  styles 
of  advertising.  One  of  these  he  found  very  satisfactory 
and  the  coming  season  will  use  that  style  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  the  others.  Similarly  the  try  out  can  be 
used  to  determine  the  value  of  a  circular  campaign  in 
connection  with  advertising;  alone  or  in  connection 
with  traveling  salesmen  or  canvassers.  The  variations 
are  infinite  and  it  only  remains  for  the  user  to  make 
the  try  out  system  as  valuable  as  possible  by  fitting  it 
to  his  individual  means. 

After  demonstration  of  the  try  out  and  selection 
of  a  letter,  a  group  or  a  series  of  letters  the  mechanical 
handling  of  correspondence,  incidentally,  the  filing, 
and  directly  follow-up  methods  round  out  the  plan  of 
campaign.  These  are  treated  specifically  in  the  third 
part  of  this  book. 

Such  a  thing  as  a  faultless  form  letter  does  not 
exist,  but  perhaps  one  in  a  thousand  have  but  few  or 
minor  errors.  If  the  business  man  will  check  up  his 
form  letters  by  the  following  list — all  of  these  faults 
being  easily  avoided — he  will  in  the  shortest  space  of 
time  do  himself  more  good  in  actual  dollars  and  cents 
than  in  perhaps  any  other  way : 

Some  of  the  common  faults  of  form  letters ; 

Crowding. 

Improper  balance. 

Undue  familiarity. 


C.    A.    BURT  97 

Wrong  use  of  the  P.  S. 

Trying  to  tell  too  much. 

Sending  out  the  letter  unsigned. 

The  misuse  of  hyphens  for  dashes. 

Apologizing  in  the  first  paragraph. 

Using  a  rubber  stamp  for  the  date. 

Addressing  the  envelope  with  a  pen. 

Asking  for  replies  instead  of  orders. 

Using  a  green,  instead  of  a  two-cent  stamp. 

Approaching  the  catalogue  or  booklet  style. 

Ending  with,  ^'Do  it  now" — forceful  but  worn. 

Saying,  "This  is  not  a  form  letter,"  when  it  is. 

Beginning  the  letter  with  "I"  or  "We"  instead  of 
"You." 

Running  the  signature  with  a  zinc  or  electro — a 
wood  cut  makes  the  best  imitation  signature. 

Sending  out  the  letter  so  as  to  reach  the  addressee 
the  wrong  day.  Form  letters  to  get  the  best  attention 
should  be  received  by  the  city  man  Tuesday ;  the  coun- 
try town  man,  Tuesday  to  Friday;  the  farmer,  Friday 
or  Saturday, 
7 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE  BUSINESS-GETTING  FORM  LETTER 

BY   PHILIP   W.    LENNEN 

^'How  do  you  mix  jour  paints?" — inquired  the  n/* 
enthusiast  of  an  immortal  master  painter.  "Easily 
enough,"  was  the  great  man's  laconic  reply.  "I  mix 
them  with  brains." 

And  the  same  recipe  holds  good  in  compounding 
the  elements  of  a  successful  form  letter. 

One  might  as  well  try  to  describe  the  process  of 
making  a  great  novel,  a  powerful  sermon,  or  an  elo- 
quent speech,  as  to  attempt  to  tell  exactly  how  a  form 
letter  is  put  together.  For  it  is  all  the  same  art — the 
art  of  appealing  to  men;  the  art  of  fashioning  their 
thoughts,  wills,  and  actions  to  suit  your  own  views  and 
fancies. 

A  form  letter-writer  attempts  to  make  other  men 
think  as  he  wants  them  to  think — that's  all  he  has  to 
do! 

And  so  does  the  author,  the  minister,  the  sales- 
man— and  every  other  mental  wonder-worker — every 
other  moulder  of  other  men's  minds. 

Thei"e  may  be  a  hundred  different  names  for  it  in 
other  lines,  but  in  business  we  call  it  salesmanship. 
And  that's  what  a  form  letter  is — salesmanship  on 
paper. 

*'How  do  I  write  my  form  letters?"  replied  a  fam 
ous  sales  general  to  my  anxious  inquiry.  "I  breathe  a 
little  real  life  into  them — that's  all. 

98 


PHILIP    W.    LENNEN  99 

"The  type  stick  and  the  two-cent  stamp  are  quite 
as  mighty  as  the  sample  case  and  the  Pullman  coach. 
If  the  salesman's  personality,  the  salesman's  method 
of  argument  and  line  of  talk  sell  goods  in  a  personal 
appeal — they  ought  to  sell  goods  in  a  personal  letter. 
And  so  I  put  life — the  salesman's  life — the  salesman's 
enthusiasm  and  glowing  personality  in  every  dupli- 
cated missive  I  send  out." 

But  the  pity  of  it  is,  it  is  in  this  very  life  and 
human  interest — this  vital  personality — that  most  of 
The  Cardinal      ^^^  letters  are  so  dismally  weak. 
Weakness  in  Almost  nine  out  of  every  ten  letters 

Most  Forms  ^^^  ^^^^  nowadays  have  no  individuality 
in  them  at  all — and  do  not  even  seem  to  pretend  to 
have.  They  do  not  read  like  earnest,  warm  personal 
appeals  between  live  human  beings;  instead,  the  cold, 
stereotyped  printed  circular  tone  is  stamped  all  over 
them. 

No  salesman  would  everlastingly  persist  in  using 
the  same  stock  expressions,  the  same  "I-beg-to-state," 
"regret-to-inform"  style  of  presentation  in  his  every 
interview,  paragraph,  and  sentence. 

Yet  that's  what  your  average  form  letter  writer 
does.  And  even  to  such  an  extent  that  I  verily  believe 
many  correspondents  would  literally  acknowledge  their 
death  warrant  with  "Your  kind  and  valued  favor 
received," 

The  correspondence  of  to-day  is  nearly  all  in  the 
same  tone — the  same  stereotyped,  stilted,  commercial 
jargon.  It  makes  no  difference  what  sentiment  a  reply 
calls  for — whether  sympathy — cordialty — disappoint- 
ment— surprise — the  style  is  always  the  same,  always 
as  stiff  and  cold  as  an  international  protocol. 

One  might  well  think  of  a  concern  as  an  organiza- 


100  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

tion  of  animated  machines  if  he  were  obliged  to  judge 
it  by  the  personality  of  its  correspondence.  And  that's 
why  I  gay  at  the  very  outset  that  a  form  letter  without 
good  warm  blood  in  it,  without  life  and  gumption, 
won't  pull  ten  cent's  worth  of  profit — no  matter  how 
good  its  arguments. 

Every  form  letter  writer  should  dictate  as  he  would 
talk;  should  put  into  his  letters  the  same  enthusiasm, 
the  same  intensity,  the  same  earnestness  and  sincerity 
he  would  inject  into  a  personal  appeal — if  the  customer 
were  at  his  elbow  listening  to  his  every  word.  That's 
the  foremost  principle  in  scientific  letter-writing. 

If  a  form  letter  is  like  a  salesman — it  should  make 
its  approach  like  a  salesman ;  it  should  state  its  propo- 
Tho Quaiitiei  s^tion  like  a  salesman;  and  it  should  get 
that  Make  a  the  customer's  signature  to  the  order 
^*^'^^         blank  like  a  salesman. 

In  other  words,  a  successful  letter  should  do  three 
things : 

It  should,  first,  attract  attention. 

It  should,  second,  create  a  desire  for  the  goods 
advertised. 

And,  third,  it  should  turn  the  desire  for  the  goods 
into  a  determination  to  place  an  order  for  them, — not 
*'when  I  get  to  the  office" — or  '^by  and  by" — but  note, 

A  great  many  letters,  like  a  great  many  salesmen, 
make  their  greatest  mistake  at  the  very  beginning. 
Their  method  of  approach  is  so  weak — that  they  do 
not  secure  even  a  hearing. 

There  are  a  thousand  ways  of  beginning  a  letter, 
just  as  there  are  a  thousand  ways  of  beginning  an  inter- 
view. But  nearly  all  these  ways  can  be  classified  under 
one  principle. 

The  business  psychologist  tells  us  that  every  man 


PHILIP   W.    LENNEN  101 

is  interested  in  his  own  troubles.  "Talk  about  a  cus- 
tomer's needs  or  diflSculties" — says  he — "and  you  will 
immediately  get  his  attention.'' 

And  right  here  lies  the  whole  secret  of  attracting 
attention — of  arousing  interest  and  curiosity  in  the 
opening  paragraph  of  a  form  letter. 

The  patent  medicine  advertiser  knows  that  it  is 
no  use  to  talk  to  a  man  about  his  dyspepsia  until  the 
Points  in  patient  is  convinced  that  he  HAS  this 

Beginning  a  disease. 

^^^^"^  So  instead  of  talking  about  "Doctor 

Fixem's  Celebrated  Elixir  of  Life"  he  first  talks  about 
dyspepsia — ^about  the  patient's  disease.  And  so  graph- 
ically and  correctly  does  he  describe  the  patient's  iden- 
tical symptoms,  that  the  patient  decides  at  once  that 
he  has  at  last  discovered  a  doctor  who  understands  his 
case.  And  if  he  understands  the  case  is  he  not  liable 
to  have  a  remedy  for  it? 

When  you  can  convince  a  man  that  you  actually 
know  something  about  his  affairs  he  is  bound  to  enter- 
tain a  certain  amount  of  respect  for  you- — even  in  spite 
of  prejudices.  He  knows  you  are  not  a  charlatan — he 
has  proof  that  you  are  not  hitting  blindly  in  the  air. 
You  have  carefully  weighed  and  analyzed  his  demands. 
You  have  located  the  real  cause  of  his  troubles — and 
when  you  win  confidence  like  this  you  have  climaxed 
the  first  step  towards  an  order. 

But  too  many  form  letters  begin  at  once  to  thrust 
their  propositions  upon  you  before  they  have  estab- 
lished this  precious  confidence.  They  talk  not  about 
disease — but  about  a  remedy  you  never  realized  you 
needed.  They  take  for  granted  an  interest  that  so  far 
as  you  are  concerned  is  liable  not  to  exist  at  all.  For 
instance,  an  advertiser  writes  in  to-day: 


102  BUSINESS  CORRESPONDENCE 

I  would  like  to  show  you  our  complete  line  of 
Morris  chairs. 

Now  if  I  had  actually  decided  to  buy  a  Morris 
chair  a  letter  like  this  might  get  my  attention.  But 
perhaps  I  had  never  felt  the  need  for  such  a  luxury. 
In  such  an  event  a  beginning  like  this  would  invariably 
lead  not  to  a  sale  but  to  the  waste  basket. 

On  the  other  hand,  see  how  much  more  quickly  a 
letter  like  this— an  actual  letter  on  the  same  subject 
sent  out  by  a  different  concern — attracts  the  eye  and 
brain : 

What  is  more  satisfying  and  restful  to  the 
tired,  overworked  business  man  than  a  soft 
downy  Morris  chair! 

To  be  able  to  sink  back  into  its  pillowy  depths 
with  pipe  or  cigar  and  a  good  book  at  hand— 
what  greater  freedom  from  care  and  worry  could 
you  ask!  What  greater  relaxation  and  comfort 
for  mind  and  body — could  you  find ! 

I  have  the  best  line  of  Morris  chairs  in  Chi- 
cago, etc. 

There  may  be  a  little  too  much  rhetoric  and  poetry 
in  this  letter — but  at  least  it  has  an  interesting  begin- 
ning. And  it  gets  your  attention.  The  picture  it  draws 
is  as  inviting  to  "a  tired,  overworked  business  man'*  as 
a  spring  of  crystal  water  to  a  desert  traveler. 

This  letter  does  not  begin  by  trying  to  sell  you 
something.  It  does  not  attempt  a  tug  at  your  pocket- 
book  strings  before  it  has  even  won  your  interest.  It 
tells  you  in  an  interesting  way  your  NEED  for  a  Morris 
chair.  And  then  it  tells  you  how  the  form  letter  writer 
can  supply  that  need. 


PHILIP   W.    LENNEN  103 

In  fact,  the  beginning  of  a  letter  resolves  itself  into 
considering  the  reader's  needs,  feelings,  tastes,  and  ten- 
dencies first — and  then  telling  him  how  you  can  cater 
to  these  particular  characteristics. 

If  all  men  are  selfish  see  that  your  letter  appeals 
at  once  to  the  selfish  instincts.  If  all  men  are  mer- 
cenary^ show  your  reader  at  the  outset  the  cold  cash  it 
means  to  him  to  read  all  you  have  to  say.  A  letter  for 
instance  that  starts  off  as  a  circular  as  does  that  I  now 
have  on  my  desk — ''I  can  save  you  |3.50  a  month  on 
your  gas  bill"  is  sure  to  get  attention. 

On  the  other  hand  we  quickly  cast  aside  a  letter 
that  begins — "We  beg  to  inform  you  that  we  have  per- 
fected a  superior  gas  jet" — because  such  a  statement  as 
this  is  liable  to  be  of  very  little  interest  to  us  at  the 
moment  it  is  read.  I  have  all  I  can  do  perfecting  my 
own  goods  without  interesting  myself  in  perfecting 
somebody  else's  wares.  There  is  nothing  that  suggests 
any  money-making  chance  to  me  in  this  beginning. 
Nothing  that  appeals  to  my  greed — thrift — ambition  or 
enterprise.  It  is  stereot>^ped,  commonplace,  dry,  life- 
less.   And  into  the  wastebasket  it  goes. 

After  all,  the  point  is  merely  an  "A-B-C"  princi- 
ple of  psychology.  Talk  about  the  other  fellow  and  he 
is  interested.  Talk  about  yourself — and  he  stops  up 
his  ears. 

But  some  letters  fail  even  after  they  have  secured 
the  interest.  They  begin  all  right  enough.  They  at- 
tract attention — they  make  us  want  to  know  more 
about  what  the  letter-writer  has  to  offer — but  then  they 
throw  cold  water  on  their  good  effect.  They  present 
the  proposition  so  weakly  and  incompletely  that  no 
matter  how  real  our  interest  in  the  article,  there  is  no 
temptation  to  make  the  purchase.    No  belief  is  created 


104  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

that  we  simply  must  get  an  order  in  at  once  or  lose  a 
golden  opportunity. 

These  letters  cajole  us  into  listening  to  the  sales- 
man's story ;  but  they  do  not  properly  satisfy  our  desire 
for  information  about  the  proposition.  They  leave  us 
with  a  tepid,  lukewarm  inclination  towards  the  article 
advertised;  and  a  customer's  interest  and  desire  must 
be  near  the  boiling  point  if  you  expect  to  get  his  order. 

It  must  always  be  remembered  that  the  great  dis- 
advantage of  buying  by  mail — the  stumbling  block  in 
the  path  of  every  mail  order  salesman — is  that  the  cus- 
tomer can  not  see  the  goods.  In  every  other  transac- 
tion the  buyer  must  see,  feel,  smell,  or  taste  what  he 
buys — but  all  this  the  mail  order  salesman  denies  his 
customer. 

So  the  successful  form  letter  writer  should  go  as 
far  as  possible  in  eliminating  these  difficulties.  If  he 
cannot  show  us  his  goods  he  should  at  least  show  us  a 
mental  picture  of  them.  He  should  so  describe  them — 
so  paint  their  every  quality — that  we  can  form  a  clear 
mental  idea  of  what  he  has  to  offer. 

This  is  almost  the  whole  of  successful  form-letter 
salesmanship.  If  we  can  only  describe  the  goods  so 
that  they  appear  worth  the  money — if  we  can  only 
make  the  customer  see  them  as  we  want  him  to  see 
them — then  we  have  mastered  half  the  art  of  letter 
writing.  And  the  mere  trick,  knack,  or  feat  of  getting 
attention,  our  own  common  sense  and  experience  will 
develop  and  perfect. 

But  you  can  not  create  this  impression — ^you  can 
not  so  make  your  customer  see  the  goods — unless  you 

Brevity  Often      ^^^^  *^^  *^^  ^^^^  ^^^  space  to  properly 

the  Cause  of        describe   them.     The   greatest   fallacy   I 

oorEesuitB       know  of  in  connection  with  the  form  let- 


PHILIP    W.    LENNEN  105 

ter  is  this  broadly -held  idea  that  every  business  circu- 
lar of  whatever  nature  should  occupy  only  a  certain 
set  space — and  never  more. 

Your  proposition  may  require  the  investment  of 
thousands  of  dollars — your  letter  may  demand  that  the 
reader  stakes  his  earthly  all.  Yet  there  are  some  men 
who  will  calmly  insist  that  "you  must  say  your  say  in 
such  and  such  a  number  of  words." 

What  superb  nonsense!  As  though  even  your 
flower  of  endowed  literary  genius  could  write  and 
write  well  by  the  yard  stick  or  the  stop  watch.  Every- 
body knows  that  brevity  is  the  soul  of  wit;  but  when 
brevity  is  used  at  the  sacrifice  of  good  sense,  clearness, 
and  specific,  definite  description,  how  can  it  possibly 
become  anything  else  but  the  soul  of  snappy  mush, 
meaningless  generalities,  jerky  nothings,  and  poor 
results. 

There's  no  earthly  use  in  sending  out  a  letter  at 
all  if  it  does  not  properly  tell  its  story.  Better  take 
a  volume  and  make  your  point  clear  than  force  your 
reader  to  wade  through  five  or  six  paragraphs  without 
forming  any  definite  idea  of  what  you  have  to  offer. 

I  have  seen  and  read  form  letters  twenty-five  pages 
in  length  that  were  not  too  long ;  because  they  did  the 
business;  because  the  proposition  was  so  big  and  un- 
usual that  it  could  not  be  told  in  fewer  words.  There 
was  no  chance  for  inference  or  deduction.  The  matter 
involved  so  many  thousands  of  dollars  that  every  point 
and  detail  had  to  be  fully  understood  and  considered 
by  both  sides  before  an  order  was  possible.  And  be- 
cause the  letter  was  comprehensive — it  pulled. 

Tell  your  story  in  as  few  words  as  possible — but 
make  sure  above  all  things  that  you  really  tell  your 
story  before  you  finally  stop ! 


106  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

Yet  more  deplorable,  even  a  hundred  times,  than 
your  incomplete,  indefinite  argument  is  the  descrip- 
Humor-Funny.  ^^^^  expressed  in  a  flippant,  jocular, 
ism  in  Letter-  pseudo-humorous  vein — the  correspond- 
Wnting  ^jj^g  j^g  Miller  that  simply  must  make 

you  laugh  to  make  you  buy. 

This  is  the  kind  of  a  letter  that  actually  deals 
lightly  with  what  it  has  to  sell,  that  uses  the  very 
article  it  wants  you  to  pay  your  good  hard  coin  for, 
as  the  means  for  a  frayed-out  pun. 

Not  content  with  telling  you  what  the  goods  are, 
in  an  honest,  straightforward  way,  it  must  get  in  some 
ancient  gimcrack  about  them — it  must  make  their 
name  or  quality  the  butt  for  an  ill-timed  witticism. 

Buying  is  no  joke.  No  man  wants  to  be  grinned 
at  when  he  is  debating  about  the  expenditure  of  a  stiff 
sum  of  money.  It  is  about  the  most  serious  work  a  man 
has  to  do — to  decide  whether  to  buy  this  or  that  article. 

And  you  must  take  him  at  his  mood — ^you  must 
talk  to  him  as  directly,  as  whole-heartedly,  as  he  de- 
bates with  himself. 

I  have  seen  hundreds — yes,  thousands — of  good 
form  letters  literally  ruined  by  just  one  flippant  ex- 
pression, one  tiny  attempt  at  jocularity,  one  untimely 
effort  at  facetiousness. 

And  the  absurdity  of  it  is,  not  one  of  these  *'funny" 
writers  are  ever  able  to  definitely  tell  why  letter  writ- 
ing should  be  made  this  miniature  Puck  and  Judge 
game.  Their  only  idea  seems  to  be  that  it  is  the  clever- 
ness, the  sparkle,  the  epigrammatic  brilliance  of  a  let- 
ter that  makes  it  pull.  Yet  I  believe  that  both  you  and 
I  are  still  to  meet  a  shrewd,  hardheaded  business  man 
who  is  investing  his  capital  for  the  sake  of  reading 
other  people's  cleverness. 


PHILIP   W.    LENNEN  107 

What  we  want  is  the  goods — not  humor,  nor 
genius,  nor  literature.  A  homely,  honest  letter — even 
though  a  little  rough  and  crude — that  really  tells  its 
story  and  describes  its  proposition  is  far  more  liable 
to  bring  in  the  business  than  the  brilliant  humorous 
effort  that  at  best  only  makes  us  admire  the  writer 
alone  and  not  the  writer's  goods. 

But  there  are  some  form  letters,  which,  even  though 
they  comply  with  all  the  principles  described  above, 
never  really  induce  us  to  do  anything. 
Climax  They  attract  the  attention — they  create 

the  desire  for  the  goods — but  somehow  we 
feel  that  we  might  as  well  wait  until  we  get  a  little 
more  money ;  or  until  business  picks  up  before  we  actu- 
ally place  the  order. 

Such  a  letter  lacks  a  strong  effective  climax — lacks 
some  inducement  or  discount  that  would  make  us  see 
the  imperative  need  of  getting  in  an  order  at  once. 

The  principle  of  climax  is  vital — but  simple.  It 
is  merely  this — give  the  reader  some  proposition,  some 
object,  some  argument — that  will  make  him  see  that  an 
order  to-day  is  worth  far  more  than  an  order  to-morrow. 

It  may  be  a  cash  discount ;  it  may  be  a  premium ; 
it  may  be  a  special  offer  about  to  be  withdrawn.  Then 
again  it  need  not  require  any  mercenary  sacrifice  on 
your  part  at  all,  but  merely  an  argument  that  shows 
the  customer  the  hardship  he  must  withstand,  or  the 
profit  he  must  lose  every  day  he  is  without  the  article 
advertised. 

A  splendid  climax — requiring  no  discount  or  pre- 
mium can  always  be  made  by  a  letter  that  advertises 
a  money — time — or  labor-saving  article. 

For  instance,  the  National  Cash  Register  Company 
say  to  the  merchant : 


108  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

A  thing  that  will  save  you  money  to-morrow 
will  save  you  money  to-day.  And  the  sooner  you 
get  it  the  more  money  it  will  save.  Delays  pay 
DO  dividends — Act  now ! 

and  the  retailer  does. 

Or  they  sometimes  put  it: 

If  a  dependable  bank  should  offer  to  give  you 
10^  on  your  money  instead  of  the  4^  you  get  now 
— wouldn't  you  put  your  money  in  the  new  bank 
as  soon  as  you  could? 

You  wouldn't  wait  until  it  was  convenient — 
you  wouldn't  put  it  off  until  you  just  happened 
to  be  in  the  bank's  neighborhood.  You  would  go 
at  once.  Because  every  day's  delay  would  mean 
the  loss  of  a  day's  interest  at  6^.  And  no  re- 
tailer can  afford  to  throw  money  away. 

Now  you  can't  afford  to  delay  getting  a  Na- 
tional— because  every  day  you  are  without  it 
means  just  so  much  loss  in  the  money  this  Na- 
tional will  make  or  save  you — and  add  to  your 
bank  account. 

Order  to-day! 


In  other  words  the  object  of  a  good  climax  is  to 
make  the  customer  "get  a  hump  on  himself  and  place 
his  order  in  the  first  outgoing  mail.  It  is  the  "pro- 
crastination killer"  of  the  mail  order  business;  the 
order  stimulator  that  quickens  the  flow  of  sales  and 
profits  towards  your  cash  drawer  and  bank  balance. 
"The  sooner  you  use  it — the  more  it  will  make." 
But  after  you  have  written  your  letter  so  that 
you  have  given  your  argument  and  your  climax — go 


PHILIP   W.   LENNEN  109 

^g  over  it  and  cut  out  the  unnecessary  words. 

Importance  of  Because  I  emphasized  a  while  ago  the 

Concision  ^^^^^j   jniportance   of  telling  your  whole 

story — don't  think  I  advocate  unnecessarily  prolix  cor- 
respondence. 

A  good  letter  writer  should  count  every  word  as 
a  miser  counts  dollars — and  should  keep  ever  in  his 
mind  that  each  extra  expression  or  sentence  means 
just  so  much  more  work  for  the  reader — places  him 
just  so  much  farther  away  from  the  paragraph  that 
asks  him  to  sign  the  order. 

Get  in  every  argument  mind  you,  every  point  that 
will  tend  to  magnetize  the  money  into  your  customer's 
cash  drawer.  But  be  sure  to  state  these  points  in  as 
little  space,  and  in  as  few  words  as  clearness,  natural- 
ness, and  clean-cut  expression  will  permit. 


CHAPTER  IX 

COMPLAINT  CORRESrONDENOE 

BY  S.  S.  SMITH 

The  efficacy  of  the  complaint  department  depends 
upon  two  things :  First,  the  excellence  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  department  itself;  second,  the  letters  of  ad- 
justment which  issue. 

The  specific  principle  stated  above  made  generic  is 
the  one  underlying  all  business.  Plant,  factory,  or 
store  organization  must  come  first  before  the  industrial 
units  which  keep  it  alive  can  exercise  their  varied  and 
essential  functions.  No  business  of  any  magnitude  can 
exist  until  the  various  requirements  are  separated  from 
each  other — departmentalized — later  to  be  given  over 
to  a  specialist — the  departmental  manager. 

The  business  personality  of  this  man  as  shown  by 
the  points  at  which  he  touches  those  with  whom  he  has 
Sneeess  in  the  business  relations,  determines  the  succesi? 
Complaint  Or  failure  of  the  department.     Now  and 

Department  then,  however,  a  department  is  so  sys- 
tejaatized,  the  right  road  to  follow  is  so  clearly  indi- 
cated, that  the  veriest  tyro  can  not  go  far  wrong.  Such 
a  contingency  might  occur  in  an  accounting  depart- 
ment where  the  systematization  was  so  complete  and 
under  employes  so  efl3cient,  that  a  department  manager 
would  find  no  new  problems  to  be  solved,  it  being  onl^ 
necessary  to  see  that  the  daily  work  was  satisfactorily 
disposed  of. 

Such  a  condition  can  never  arise  in  the  complaint 
110 


S.    S.    SMITH  111 

department.  Here  as  much  as  in  any  department  of  a 
house,  the  personality  of  the  department  head  indicates 
at  once  whether  or  not  he  be  eflScient,  and  whether  the 
house  is  to  be  advertised  favorably  or  adversely  by  its 
adjustment  of  complaints. 

The  reason  for  this  is  not  far  to  seek.  The  com- 
plaint deals  with  customers.  The  house  has  invested 
its  money  to  found  its  plant  and  established  its  busi- 
ness. It  has  expended  a  certain  sum  to  secure  the  privi- 
lege of  doing  business  with  the  customer.  That  cus- 
tomer represents  an  invested  value  to  the  house  of  a 
certain,  definite  sum,  depending  in  amount  principally 
upon  the  advertising  expense ,  necessary  to  secure  a 
patron.  He  also  represents  a  potential  value  to  the 
house  in  at  least  two  ways — expectancy  of  trade  and 
advertising  value. 

A  satisfied  customer  ^'gets  in  the  habit"  of  buying 
at  a  certain  place  and  will  continue  to  buy  at  that 
place — providing  he  is — or  thinks  he  is  well-treated — 
for  an  average  life  of,  say  five  years.  During  all  this 
time  he  is  doing  direct  advertising  by  actually  recom- 
mending the  place  to  his  friends,  and  indirect  advertis- 
ing by  being  seen  at  that  place  of  business,  using  that 
certain  product,  and  in  countless  other  ways. 

To  continue  this  relation  is  the  function  of  the 
complaint  department. 

It  is  outside  the  scope  of  this  article  to  more  than 
touch  upon  the  personal  adjustment.  This  is  a  mat- 
The  Personal  ^^^  ^^  combined  intuition,  experience, 
Adjustment  vs.  patience,  self-control,  fairness,  discern- 
tlie  Letter  ^^^^^  ^^^  ^  ^^^^  ^^  ^^^^^  qualifications, 

necessary  to  the  proper  and  satisfactory  adjustment 
of  complaints  made  at  the  adjustment  bureau  of  any 
concern  doing  a  large  retail  business,  dealing  over  the 


112  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

counter  or  otherwise  directly  with  the  people.  In  this 
method  of  adjustment  the  adjuster  is  not  confined  to 
the  written  page,  either  for  the  information  that  he  re- 
ceives or  supplies.  By  the  appearance  of  the  complain- 
ant, and  the  manner  in  which  the  information  is  given, 
he  is  enabled  to  judge  of  the  fairness  of  the  complaint, 
the  method  to  be  used  in  adjustment,  how  far  to  go  in 
satisfying  the  complainer,  and  in  fact  all  the  informa- 
tion necessary  to  close  up  the  matter  satisfactorily  and 
at  once. 

Complaint  correspondence,  on  the  other  hand,  looks 
to  the  settlement  of  just  as  annoying  problems  from  the 
barest  data  furnishable,  often  being  a  bald  statement 
of  a  fact  written  entirely  from  the  complainer's  view- 
point and  furnishing  little  or  no  basis  by  which  to 
judge  the  fairness  of  the  statement  on  which  must  be 
based  the  adjustment.  There  is  but  one  main  advan- 
tage in  this  method.  When  a  person  has  made  his  com- 
plaint— perhaps  in  a  petulant  or  self-assertive  man- 
ner— and  has  received  his  reply — tactful,  diplomatic, 
and  deferentially  courteous,  this  reply  has  a  tendency 
to  bring  out  all  the  latent  fairness  of  the  complainant 
and  is  often  followed  by  a  reaction  that  leaves  him 
with  the  best  feelings  towards  the  house,  and,  perhaps, 
actually  feeling  that  they  are  to  be  treated  so  nicely 
that  they  too,  must  be  upon  their  best  behavior  and  not 
leave  all  the  concessions  to  be  made  by  the  other  side. 

It  is  to  bring  about  just  this  mental  condition  that 
the  complaint  letter  attempts.  ^To  work  together  in 
the  spirit  of  fairness,"  is  perhaps  the  best  tone  of  the 
complaint  letter  and  the  one  that  is  most  efficacious  in 
the  most  cases. 

The  reasons  for  the  large  number  of  complaints 


S.    S.    SMITH  113 

scheduled  by  any  house  having  an  extensive  business, 
are  the  outgrowth  of  two  modern  conditions. 

First,  the  idea  that  the  patron  who  is  uncomplain- 
ing, easy-going,  and  patient  in  his  dealings  with  a  firm, 
"Nothing  ^^^^^  always  fare  worse  than  he  who  de- 

claimed Noth-  mands  his  rights  to  the  uttermost  and  de- 
mg  Obtained"  man^g  them  loudly.  The  germ  of  this  idea 
is  here :  Great  claims  loudly  made  will  certainly  secure 
some  recognition ;  no  claims  or  those  not  emphatically 
represented  will  land  nothing.  Nor  is  this — it  must 
be  confessed — always  a  wrong  idea.  Too  often  the 
surest  way  to  get  poor  service  is  to  make  no  complaint 
when  the  service  does  not  suit.  Too  often,  also,  do  ex- 
travagant claims  result  in  the  claimant  securing  a  com- 
promise, where  he  is  entitled  to  nothing. 

Second,  the  fact  that  modern  business  relations 
are  strangely  complex  is  an  ever-present  condition  fav- 
oring complaints.  The  customer  in  Cresco,  Iowa, 
writes  to  a  large  firm  in  New  York  City,  asking  that  a 
certain  piece  of  goods  be  forwarded  him.  If  it  be  con- 
sidered at  how  many  points  there  is  a  chance  for  mis- 
carriage, misunderstanding,  delay,  or  one  of  the  thou- 
sand and  one  other  things  that  may  interrupt,  or  inter- 
fere with  the  proper  consummation  of  this  simple  busi- 
ness transaction,  it  will  not  be  thought  strange  that  the 
complaint  department  of  any  large  house  is  a  large  and 
important  one. 

The  ordinary  customer  entrusts  his  communica- 
tions to  the  mails  with  just  as  much  assurance  that 
Delay  ^^^^  ^^^^  ^^  properly  delivered  as  though 

and  he  himself  were  performing  the  work.    He 

omp  ts  jj^g  ^  reasonable  idea  as  to  how  long  it 
takes  a  letter  to  arrive  at  its  destination,  and  how 


114  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

long  it  should  take  him  to  receive  the  order  after  it 
has  been  filled.  This  time  having  elapsed,  he  becomes 
anxious,  and  depending  upon  circumstances  and  upon 
his  temperament  he  writes,  to  inquire  for  the  delay,  or 
does  not.  If  he  writes,  his  inquiry  may  be  permeated 
by  a  spirit  of  courtesy,  or  it  may  be  not.  The  letter  of 
complaint  may  be  deferential — particularly  if  coming 
from  a  foreign  country;  it  may  be  good-naturedly 
humorous,  or  offensively  radical,  or  any  degree  between 
those  two  points.  In  whatever  spirit  the  communica- 
tion is  written,  the  reply,  like  the  demonstration  of  the 
salesman,  must  be  calming  and  courteous.  It  can  not 
embody  anything  that  smacks  of  the  discourteous;  it 
can  not  afford  the  slightest  peg  upon  which  to  hang  a 
further  grouch;  it  must  soothe  down  the  ruffled  feath- 
ers of  the  bird  of  peace  with  a  promise  and  a  fulfilment 
that  retains  the  respect  of  all  parties  thereto. 

Now,  dependent  upon  the  time  that  he  has  to  wait 
for  a  reply  to  his  complaint,  hinges  the  success  of  the 
complaint  letter.  It  is  a  known  fact  in  mental  science, 
that  there  is  scarcely  a  crime  for  which  the  criminal 
can  not  find  justification  if  he  is  given  long  enough 
time.  At  first  he  has  a  realizing  sense  of  the  magni- 
tude of  his  wrong-doing,  but  as  time  slips  by  he  fancies 
himself,  if  not  the  aggrieved  party,  yet  in  some  meas- 
ure justified  for  his  act. 

Now,  whether  the  party  making  the  complaint  be 
in  the  right  or  wrong,  every  hour  that  elapses  makes 
his  complaint  just  that  much  harder  to  settle.  There- 
fore, whatever  kind  of  letter  issues  it  must  be  prompt. 

Many  authorities  on  adjustment  correspondence 
hold  that  immediately  upon  i*eceipt  of  a  complaint,  a 
notification  that  the  complaint  has  been  received,  and 
is  being  investigated  should   issue.     The  authorities 


S.    S.    SMITH  lis 

holding  to  this  view  assert  that  this  letter  or  notifica- 
tion coming  in  immediate  response  to  the  complaint, 
Acknowledging  Protects  the  house  in  case  there  be  any  de- 
theEeceiptof  lay;  if  there  be  no  delay  it  sets  in  action 
the  Complaint  ^^^  smoothing-down  process  that  the  let- 
ter completes. 

Other  authorities,  however,  hold  that  no  communi- 
cation should  issue  until  the  letter  can  go  forward,  say- 
ing that  the  matter  has  been  adjusted — the  goods  re- 
shipped — the  order  duplicated — or  the  thing  com- 
plained of  has  been  entirely  set  right.  Those  holding 
to  this  view  say :  "Do  not  write  until  you  can  repair  or 
make  good  the  complaint.  The  complainer  wants  satis- 
faction— wants  the  goods;  smooth  letters  are  all  right 
in  their  place,  but  their  place  is  only  when  the  goods 
can  go  forward.'^ 

There  is  no  doubt  much  good  in  both  views.  The 
simple  notification  that  a  complaint  has  been  received 
and  is  being  attended  to  undoubtedly  assists  in  con- 
ciliation, and,  on  the  other  hand,  if  a  reasonable  time 
elapses  after  such  notification,  the  effect  of  any  other 
letter  not  accompanied  by  the  goods,  is  futile. 

Just  as  there  are  two  broad  classes  of  advertise- 
ments, similarly  there  are  two  ways  of  answering  every 
Classes  complaint  letter.    One  class  of  advertise- 

of  ments  confine  themselves  to  simple,  unex- 

Compiaints  aggerated  truths,  depending  upon  the 
fairness  of  the  people  with  whom  the  firm  does  busi- 
ness to  respond  to  unembellished  facts.  The  other  class 
of  advertisements  are  those  exaggerated,  semi-bom- 
bastic productions  which  claim  everything  in  the  hopes 
that  a  fair  percentage  of  claims  made  will  be  believed. 
The  matter  of  complaints  may  deal  with  the  com- 
plainants from  just  the  same  standpoint  as  the  differ- 


116  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

ent  classes  of  advertisements  deal  with  the  public. 
Complaints  as  they  come  in  may  be  classified  as  "fair" 
and  "unfair."  This  classification  may  be  avoided,  how- 
ever, and  both  classes  written  the  smoothest,  most  tact- 
ful letter  that  possibly  can  issue.  The  complainant 
may  be  cajoled,  flattered,  and  bamboozled,  all  in  the 
short  space  of  two  or  three  paragraphs.  He  may  be  as- 
sured, by  all  the  living  gods  that  it  was  through  no 
fault  of  the  house  that  the  mistake  occurred,  that  it 
is  peculiarly  unfortunate,  because  of  the  fact  that  the 
one  addressed  is  included  in  the  list  of  oldest,  dearest, 
customers.  The  whole  may  be  concluded  by  an  unmis- 
takable expression  of  undying  regret,  and  a  sincere 
promise  that  the  entire  establishment  will  be  upturned 
in  case  such  a  deplorable  accident  should  ever  happen 
again. 

As  opposed  to  this  is  the  complaint  letter  which 
confines  itself  to  the  plain  unvarnished  truth — stating 

TeUinK  ^^»  ^^  ^®  ^^"^ — ^°  ^  diplomatic  way,  but  yet 

the  so  worded  and  so  disposed  as  to  give  the 

Truth  impression  at  every  point,  of  the  innate 

fairness  of  the  writer  and  the  willingness  of  the  house 
to  make  good  any  and  all  reasonable  demands. 

This  style  of  letter  goes  alike  to  the  "fair"  and  the 
"unfair"  complainants.  Those  on  the  second  list  are  rea- 
sonably sure  to  write  again  asking  further  concessions, 
or  otherwise  objecting  to  the  settlement  made  or 
offered.  They  may  then  be  dealt  with  more  as  the  in- 
clination of  the  writer  directs  for  no  reasonable  settle^ 
ment  will  be  satisfactory  to  them. 

Perhaps  the  correspondent  should  be  master  of 
both  the  foregoing  methods  of  adjustment.  There  is  a 
certain  class  who  will  be  satisfied  only  with  a  large 
number  of  extravagant  promises.    They  feel  better  over 


S.    S.    SMITH  117 

a  large  number  of  such  promises  partially  fulfilled, 
than  over  an  exact  statement  of  facts  carried  out  to  the 
letter.  Knowing  when  to  use  one  style,  and  when  the 
Satisfyinff  other  or  when  to  mix  shrewdly  the  two  in 

byExtrava-  One  letter  comes  from  the  intuitive  fac- 
gance  ^|^y  ^j^^^  develops  from  constant  applica- 

tion to  and  study  of  one  line. 

Complaints,  classified  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
causes  from  which  they  spring,  fall  broadly  into  the 
following  divisions: 

(1)  Those  complaints  arising  from  neglect  or 
error  of  the  house. 

(2)  Those  complaints  the  fault  of  the  com- 
plainant. 

(3)  Those  complaints  the  fault  of  both  the  house 
and  the  complainant. 

(4)  Those  complaints  due  to  outside  sources  or 
unavoidable  causes. 

It  is  a  sign  of  poor  business  organization  or  admin- 
istration, or  both,  when  the  first  class  is  a  large  one. 
Complaints  In  order  that  the  cause  should  be  located 
Defective  unbiasedly,  it  is  imperative  the  adjuster 

Organization  be  concerned  in  no  way  with  the  filling 
of  orders  or  the  solicitation  of  business.  Should  he  be, 
one  of  the  two  things  is  sure  to  occur :  He  will  tend  to 
be  unfair  in  all  adjustments  resulting  from  his  neglect, 
minifying  them  in  a  manner  prejudicial  to  a  fair  settle- 
ment ;  also,  the  complaint  letters  being  unpleasant  ones 
to  answer,  they  may  be  put  aside  and  so  fail  to  receive 
the  necessary  prompt  attention.  The  expert — the  spe- 
cialist— is  needed  in  the  department  of  complaints  and 
adjustments  if  for  no  other  reason,  to  check  unpreiu- 
dicedly  the  department  of  sales  and  delivery. 

Complaints  unmistakably  the  fault  of  the  com- 


118  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

plainant  call  for  a  thorough,  tactful,  demonstration — 
not  as  to  the  guilt  of  the  complainer — but  as  to  the 
innocence  of  the  house.  It  is  less  difficult  to  convince 
the  complaining  customer  that  the  house  was  in  the 
right,  than  that  he  was  in  the  wrong,  and  this  taken 
as  a  basis  from  which  to  work  produces  the  ideal  letter 
for  class  two. 

Complaints  due  to  outside  sources  are  by  the  far 
the  simplest  of  any  in  regard  to  the  manner  of  their  dis- 
posal. The  only  embarrassment  is  due  to  delayed  ship- 
ments, in  which  case  it  is  difficult  to  determine  whether 
to  duplicate  the  order  or  wait  for  the  goods  to  be  deliv- 
ered. If  sent  by  express  or  freight  the  fact  that  con- 
signment has  been  made  is  universally  recognized  as  a 
clearance  for  the  house.  The  post  office  department — 
unless  consignments  are  sent  by  registered  mail — gives 
no  tangible  evidence  of  the  consignment  of  an  order  and 
the  excuse,  "'the  fault  of  the  mails,"  no  longer  consti- 
tutes a  valid  extenuation  for  non-delivery. 

The  general  qualifications  that  make  up  a  tactful 
letter,  must  of  course,  be  present  in  the  complaint  let- 
raimesB  in  *^^»  ^°  order  that  it  be  effective.  The  one 
tho  Complaint  requisite,  however,  the  absence  of  which 
Letter  detracts  from  it  the  most,  is  fairness.    As 

long  as  the  tone  of  the  letter  is  just  and  equitable  even 
the  most  prejudiced  can  not  fail  to  recognize  this  spirit 
and  will  not  have  the  persistence  to  stand  out  against 
what  they  know  is  and  can  recognize  as  right.  Un- 
fortunately the  truly  judicial  mind  is  rare — and  that  is 
what  the  complaint  adjuster  needs.  He  must  protect 
the  house  on  the  one  hand  and  still  retain  the  good- 
will—where possible — of  the  customer. 

System  in  the  complaint  department  is  as  potent 
a  factor  for  efficiency  as  anywhere  in  the  business  or- 


S.    S.    SMITH  119 

ganization.  Only  through  a  smoothly-running  system 
can  any  volume  of  business  be  cared  for  accurately  and 
on  time. 

As  an  exposition  of  the  system  used  by  one  of  the 
largest  publishing  houses  of  the  East,  in  handling  their 
complaints,  the  following  is  given  by  the  Circulation 
Manager  of  that  publication,  with  the  request,  however, 
that  his  name  be  withheld : 

''Our  Circulation  Bureau  includes  in  its  scope  not 
only  the  formulation  and  the  carrying  out  of  plans  look 
ing  to  the  maintenance  and  increase  of 
Scope  of  the  cir-  ^jj^  circulation  of  our  magazines,  but  also 
eolation  Bureau  ^^^  handling  of  the  mail,  the  entering  of 
subscriptions  and  the  conduct  of  the  general  corre- 
spondence. At  one  time,  the  entering  of  mail  and  the 
keeping  of  subscription  records  were  looked  after  in  a 
department  devoted  to  that  work  and  what  might  be 
termed  the  executive  part  of  the  circulation  work  in 
another  department.  On  the  prompt  and  proper  han- 
dling of  complaints  and  general  subscription  work,  how- 
ever, depends  to  a  not  inconsiderable  extent,  the  effi- 
ciency of  circulation  plans  proper  and  we  found  that  a 
more  efficient  and  intelligent  conduct  of  this  part  of 
the  work  could  be  secured  by  a  consolidation  in  one 
department  and  under  one  general  management.  One 
subdivision  of  the  Circulation  Bureau  as  it  now  exists 
is  that  of  correspondence  and  this  subdivision  includes 
in  its  duties  complaint  work. 

''Now,  as  to  the  handling  of  complaints.  One 
primary  rule  enforced  in  the  handling  of  this  work  is 
that  unless  for  some  unsurmountable  ob- 
the  Answer  stacle,  every  complaint  letter  must  be  fin- 
ished complete  within  a  maximum  of 
thirty-six  hours  after  it  is  received — ordinarily,  this  is 
reduced  to  twenty-four  hours.  As  our  'no  money  mail' 
is  opened,  the  complaints  are  sorted  under  several 
heads  and  given  to  clerks  in  charge  of  certain  states 
and  sections  or  engaged  in  certain  parts  of  the  work, 


120  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 


such  as,  complaints  coming  from  canvassers,  from  sub- 
scribers, from  newsdealers,  etc.  To  each  letter  is  at- 
tached a  blank  on  which  is  noted  the  time  of  giving  it 
out.  On  this  blank  is  printed  a  series  of  questions, 
most  of  which  can  be  answered  by  a  simple  affirmative 
or  negative,  and  which  cover  almost  every  element 
which  can  enter  into  a  complaint.  The  clerk  handling 
the  letter  makes  the  necessary  investigation,  going  from 
one  point  to  another,  until  the  cause  of  the  trouble  is 
reached.  The  questions  listed  are  successively .  filled 
out  until  the  cause  is  located.  The  letter  with  the  slip 
attached  is  then  turned  over  to  a  correspondent  who, 
from  the  information  thus  listed,  can  answer  it  intelli- 
gently, making  any  addition  or  comment  of  a  general 
character  deemed  desirable. 

**The  best  may  of  handling  complaints  is  not  to 
get  them.  To  know  how  to  avoid,  it  is  necessary  to 
Departmental  know  just  what  caused  them.  Each  com- 
Chargefor  plaint  clerk  every  morning  starts  a  sort 

CompiaintB  ^f  ^^Hy  sheet  on  which  is  listed,  under 
about  twenty-five  heads,  every  variation  of  complaint 
which  we  receive.  Each  clerk  enters  in  the  proper 
column  on  this  sheet  a  tally  for  each  complaint  handled 
and,  at  the  end  of  the  day,  these  sheets  are  added  up 
and  listed  in  a  report  of  the  complaint  work  handled 
that  day,  these  in  turn  being  condensed  into  monthly 
tables.  From  these  records,  an  immense  amount  of 
valuable  information  is  obtainable.  Each  mistake  due 
to  causes  inside  of  our  own  establishment  is  charged 
up  to  the  department  which  made  it  and,  if  possible, 
to  the  clerk  who  is  responsible.  The  relative  efficiency 
of  those  handling  the  original  correspondence  as  well 
as  of  the  complaint  clerks  is  thus  a  matter  of  record. 
Weakness  in  any  part  of  our  system  at  once  becomes 
apparent  and  the  knowledge  by  our  clerks  and  other 
employes  that  every  error  will,  sooner  or  later,  be 
recorded  against  him  or  her  and  be  an  element  in  de- 
termining his  subsequent  value  to  the  company  has  a 
strong  moral  effect  in  improving  the  efficiency  of  the 
force  as  a  whole. 

"A  rather  surprising  point  brought  out  by  these 


S.    S.    SMITH  121 


records  is  the  fact  that  of  all  complaints  handled, 
about  eighty  per  cent  of  them  are  due  to  causes  outside 
of  our  establishment.  The  ingenuity  of  the  public  in 
making  errors  as  shown  by  the  mail  of  a  large  publish- 
ing house,  makes  a  rather  interesting  chapter  and  some 
variations  of  these  errors  are  almost  beyond  belief,  ex- 
cept by  some  one  who  has  been  in  the  habit  of  handling 
this  sort  of  mail.  Of  course,  the  element  of  copies  lost 
in  the  mails  or  not  delivered  for  various  causes  plays 
considerable  part. 

"Thousands  of  complaints  are  practically  identical 
and  require  the  same  answer.  A  great  deal  of  corre- 
spondence can  be  handled  by  process  let- 
Procesa'Letters  *^^^  ^^  which  the  name  and  address  of  the 
addressee  are  filled  in  with  a  typewriter 
to  match  the  printed  portion.  Sometimes,  a  letter  can 
be  made  up  in  this  way  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
words  to  be  added  at  the  end  of  a  pragraph,  or  by  the 
addition  of  a  paragraph.  If  the  letters  are  well  made 
and  the  typewritten  portions  well  done,  the  letter  has 
all  the  appearance  of  a  complete,  typewritten  letter  and 
is,  of  course,  less  expensive  and  more  expeditious. 

"The  correspondents  are  provided  with  a  set  of 
instructions  covering  all  the  main  points  entering  into 
the  general  run  of  correspondence  and,  by  this  means, 
it  is  possible  to  carry  on  the  work  with  a  less  expensive 
corps  than  would  be  necessary  if  each  letter  required 
individual  judgment  and  discretion.  These  instruc- 
tions are  changed  quite  frequently,  depending  on  the 
varying  conditions  or,  as  found  desirable  to  make  effec- 
tive those  plans  being  pushed  at  any  particular  time. 

"From  previous  experience,  it  is  frequently  pos- 
sible to  anticipate  a  certain  form  of  complaint  or  in- 
quiry  for,  no  matter  how  explicitly  a 
the  comVaint  statement  may  be  made,  there  is  always  a 
certain  percentage  of  those  who  read  it 
who  will  misunderstand  it  or  'take  the  chance^  of  there 
being  some  laxity  on  the  part  of  the  publisher.  Very 
frequently,  a  form  letter  or  printed  postal  can  be 
ordered  before  a  certain  matter  is  before  the  publio 
with  the  moral  certainty  that  there  will  be  use  for  it. 


122  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

"By  a  proper  supervision  and  by  a  system  of  rec- 
ords, checkings,  etc.,  it  is  possible  to  handle  complaints 
so  that  all  but  about  one  per  cent  can  be  handled  by 
clerks  receiving  moderate  wages,  relieving  those  in  exec- 
utive positions  of  the  actual  handling  of  this  detail 
with  corresponding  advantage  to  the  executive  features 
of  the  business.  While  there  is  no  necessity  for  subse- 
quent reference  in  the  vast  majority  of  complaint  let- 
ters received,  we  have  found  it  advisable  to  keep  a  car- 
bon copy  of  every  letter  which  leaves  our  office,  carbon 
copies  being  attached  to  the  original  letters.  When 
form  letters  are  used,  a  notation  as  to  the  number  of 
the  form  letter  used,  is  made  on  the  letter  in  place  of  a 
carbon  copy." 

The  foregoing  system  details  practically  all  the 
methods  in  use  in  the  adjustment  of  business  com- 
plaints. While  the  methods  used  are  those  specifically 
adapted  to  the  publishing  business,  yet  the  system  is 
so  elastic  that  it  is  applicable  to  practically  any  plant 
receiving  a  large  volume  of  complaints. 

Some  people,  even  some  business  men,  invariably 
put  in  a  claim  for  shortage,  damage  by  transit,  or 
Anawerine  claim  inferior  quality  as  a  cause  for  com- 

the  Habitual  plaint.  Being  habitual  kickers,  they  have 
Complainant  become,  by  a  life  time  of  complaint,  skil- 
ful in  the  art  of  asking  concessions,  which  on  the  face 
appear  plausible.  It  requires  a  most  thorough  knowl- 
edge on  the  part  of  the  correspondent,  first  as  to  the 
organization  of  the  business  of  the  firm,  and  second  as 
to  the  tendency  of  the  complainant,  before  a  letter  can 
be  framed  so  as  to  meet  the  case  in  hand.  Besides  this 
knowledge  there  should  always  be  borne  in  mind  the 
legal  aspect  of  the  document  which  is  to  issue.  This 
class  of  man — particularly  if  he  be  in  business  in  a 
small  way,  is  never  happier  than  when  engaged  in  a 


S.    S.    SMITH  123 

lawsuit  with  a  corporation  which  he  fancies  has  done 
him  wrong,  and  it  should  be  remembered  that  any  con- 
cessions made  in  a  letter  stand  out  good  and  strong  in 
court — particularly  when  a  down-trodden  workingman 
is  suing  a  heartless  corporation. 

When  a  firm  employs  any  number  of  travelers 
going  over  the  territory  at  specified  times,  adjustments 
of  any  importance  may  be  left  to  them  and  the  com- 
plaint letter,  being  a  mere  formal  notification  that, 
while  expressing  regret  that  the  matter  has  occurred, 
yet  it  will  be  best  adjusted  by  one  who  is  on  the  ground 
and  knows  the  circumstances  surrounding  it,  rather 
than  from  the  oflSce.  This  adjustment,  once  made, 
is  final.  It  is  always  good  business  that  the  work  of 
the  traveling  man  be  not  added  to  and  interfered  with 
by  either  collections  or  adjustments,  but  in  cases  where 
it  is  necessary  to  have  a  personal  interview  with  the 
complainant,  this  work  falls  naturally  within  the  scope 
of  the  duties  of  the  traveler. 

The  complaint  letter,  however,  will  always  remain 
ihe  standard  and  most  widely  used  method  of  adjust- 
ment. Its  directness  and  eflScacy  will  continue  to  be 
its  chief  recommendations,  and  when  written  under- 
standingly  by  one  having  a  thorough  comprehension  of 
business,  a  fair  spirit  and  a  complete  knowledge  of  the 
technique  and  possibilities  of  letter  writing,  it  will  not 
fall  short  of  success. 


CHAPTER  X 

SALES  CORRESPONDENCE 

BY  GEORGE  B.  SPENCER 

A  successful  mail  order  house  in  Chicago,  this 
borne  of  numerous  prosperous  mail  order  establish- 
ments, secures  most  of  its  original  inquiries  through 
a  campaign  of  general  publicity  carried  on  through  ad- 
vertisements in  specially  selected  periodicals,  and  dis- 
tribution of  cleverly  designed  circulars,  and  soliciting 
letters,  all  of  which  are  intended  to  arouse  the  curiosity 
of  the  reader  concerning  he  knows  not  just  what,  but 
something  which  will  meet  some  of  his  long  felt  and 
very  pressing  needs.  His  unfortunate  condition  with- 
out the  marvelously  advantageous  appliance  advertised 
is  dwelt  on  at  length,  a  most  appealing  word  picture 
of  what  he  might  realize  with  it  is  outlined,  and  he 
is  urged  to  investigate  without  a  moment's  further 
delay. 

Resultant  inquiries  are  very  carefully  tabulated. 
Each  name  is  entered  upon  a  card,  the  color  of  which 
Enterine  indicates    the    source    of    the    inquiry — 

Inquiries  whether  periodical,  circular  or  letter  lit- 

When  Eeceived  prature.  On  the  card  is  a  space  in  which 
is  entered  the  name  of  the  publication  or  number  of  the 
circular  or  letter  from  which  it  emanates;  also,  if 
either  of  the  two  latter,  to  what  list  the  inquiring 
communication  should  be  credited.  Each  of  these 
cards  is  die  cut,  so  as  to  give  a  little  thumb  tab  at 
the  top,  upon  which  is  printed  a  number  indicating 

124 


GEORGE    B.    SPENCER  125 

the  business  or  profession  of  the  inquirer,  so  that  sub- 
sequent solicitations  and  follow-ups  may  be  prepared 
to  appeal  especially  to  people  performing  particular 
kinds  of  work.  Across  the  top  of  each  card,  under  the 
thumb  tabs,  are  printed  the  days  of  the  month,  over 
which  may  be  fitted  little  metal  clips  made  for  the  pur- 
pose, to  show  that  another  letter  must  be  written  to 
the  party  whose  name  the  card  bears,  if  he  does  not 
respond  to  anything  sent  him  within  a  week,  ten  days, 
two  weeks  or  a  month,  as  the  case  may  require.  The 
cards  also  provide  spaces  for  mercantile  agency  rat- 
ings, correspondence  file  number,  catalog,  letter  and 
circular  follow-up,  numbers  and  dates,  and  a  record  of 
business  secured. 

An  original  inquiry  opened  at  the  incoming  mail 
division  goes  first  to  the  inquiry  department,  where 
AnsweriM  ^"^  ^^  ^^®  above  mentioned  cards  is  at 
and  Filing  once  filled  in  with  the  necessary  data  and 
the  Inquiries  attached  to  it.  Both  of  these  then  go  to 
the  manager  of  the  section  handling  business  to  which 
they  relate,  who  sends  them  on  to  the  correspondent 
handling  the  particular  line  referred  to.  If  it  is  spe- 
cial, a  reply  is  dictated  and  the  date  of  the  letter  filled 
in  on  the  card.  If  it  is  regular,  the  correspondent 
merely  marks  the  card  with  the  proper  form  number 
and  number  of  days  to  elapse  before  follow-up,  and 
sends  it  on  to  a  clerk,  who  fills  in  the  letter  designated, 
sends  it  out  and  puts  the  date  of  its  mailing  upon  the 
card. 

The  original  communication  of  the  inquirer  then 
goes  to  the  correspondence  file,  and  the  inquirer's  card 
back  to  the  inquiry  department,  where  a  clerk  fits 
upon  it  one  of  the  little  metal  clips  indicating  the 
number  of  days  which  must  elapse  between  the  date 


126  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

of  first  response  and  first  follow-up,  as  stated  after 
the  form  number  and  date  upon  the  card.  For  in- 
stance, suppose  an  inquiry  is  received  from  San  Fran- 
cisco on  March  15,  and  reply  goes  out  the  16th.  The 
card  would  probably  be  marked  Form  No.  1,  3-16-'05-14, 
indicating  follow-up  fourteen  days  afterward.  A  metal 
clip  would,  therefore,  be  put  on  over  the  30th.  On  that 
date  the  clerk  in  charge  of  the  list  takes  out  the  card 
and  sends  it  to  the  correspondent  whose  business  it  is 
to  follow  it  up,  and  he  in  turn  marks  it  with  the 
proper  form  number  and  sends  it  on,  to  go  through 
the  same  routine  as  originally. 

In  this  manner  over  50  per  cent  of  the  inquiries 
received  are  turned  into  actual  cash  orders.  When  the 
first  order  is  received  at  the  inquiry  department,  the 
original  card  is  taken  from  the  inquiry  list  and  sent 
to  the  customer's  department,  and  a  new  card  of  a 
distinguishing  color  is  filled  in  with  all  data  on  the 
fire  card  and  attached  to  the  order,  which  then  goes 
to  the  entry  department  of  the  proper  section.  Then 
a  clerk,  with  one  operation,  makes  out  the  warehouse 
order,  which  goes  immediately  to  the  forwarding  de- 
partment; the  sales  record,  which  goes  at  once  to  the 
manager  of  the  sales,  and  the  auditor's  record,  from 
which  posting  is  done,  and  the  invoice  (except  date), 
which  latter  remains  in  the  department  until  the  ware- 
house order  comes  back  as  a  notice  that  the  goods  have 
been  shipped.  The  invoice  is  then  dated  and  mailed 
ic  the  customer,  the  warehouse  order  is  filed  in  the 
filled  order  file,  and  the  auditor's  record  goes  to  the 
accounting  department  for  proper  entry. 

The  inquiry  list  is  an  essential  adjunct  of  a  suc- 
cessful advertising  or  letter  soliciting  campaign,  be- 
cause from  it  may  be  ascertained  just  ^hat  returns 


GEORGE    B.    SPENCER  127 

iu  inquiries,  orders  and  cash  aggregates  come  in  from 
Helping  tte  ^very  piece  of  literature  sent  out.  In  this 
Advertising  manner  one  may  be  absolutely  certain 
Campaign  whether  an  advertisement,  a  periodical, 

a  circular  or  a  letter  is  a  profitable  investment.  With- 
out this  information,  a  sales  manager  is  handicapped 
in  checking  results,  and  these  he  must  be  able  to  check 
with  a  reasonable  degree  of  accuracy,  or  he  cannot  tell 
in  what  places  he  should  apply  more  energy,  or  where 
to  loosen  up  the  brakes. 

In  a  campaign  of  this  description,  the  first  re- 
sponse to  an  inquiry  is  a  letter  full  of  straight-from- 
Contentsof  the-shoulder  information — just  such  as 
Answers  to  the  inquirer  is  supposed  to  be  asking.  It  is 
Inquiries  ^^jj  j^^^j-  piaJjQ^  logical  facts — and  accom- 

panied by  illustrated  and  descriptive  literature.  If 
it  does  not  bring  the  desired  order,  the  first  follow-up 
is  sent  within  ten  days  and  contains  additional  data, 
suggestions  and  a  strong  salesmanlike  appeal  for  im- 
mediate action.  This  failing,  a  letter  of  most  perti- 
nent illustration,  application  and  suggestion  follows 
in  another  ten  days.  If  this  does  not  bring  down  the 
game,  the  third  follow-up  assumes  a  personal  tone  de- 
signed to  bring  home  to  the  reader  the  very  intimate 
interest  of  the  writer  and  his  knowledge  of  the  wide- 
spread need  of  such  particular  goods  as  he  desires  to 
sell.  The  magnetic  touch  of  individuality  pervades  this 
letter,  and  an  endeavor  is  made  to  bring  the  prospective 
customer  into  an  atmosphere  of  convincing  friendli- 
ness. The  fourth,  fifth  and  six  follow-ups  to  the  un- 
yielding are  much  the  same  in  general  character,  but 
somewhat  different  lines  are  followed  for  the  personal 
appeal  and  injection  of  distinctive  individuality  into 
the  matter. 


128  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

To  anyone  who  holds  out  beyond  the  sixth  follow- 
up,  a  masterpiece  of  enthusiastic  eloquence,  finished 
argumentation  and  inspired  salesmanship  is  sent.  Thi«g 
is  always  the  work  of  one  of  the  most  brilliantly  suc- 
cessful and  experienced  correspondents  employed  by 
the  concern.  The  inquiry  card  then  goes  into  the  "un- 
responsive list,"  which  is  therefore  cared  for  by  a  man 
who  employs  the  most  artistic  attractiveness,  convinc- 
ing logic  and  studied  persuasiveness  to  bring  some  sort 
of  response.  If,  after  several  months,  his  work  pro- 
duces no  results,  the  card  is  passed  on  to  the  "doubtful 
list,"  and,  thereafter,  is  solicited  only  for  new  articles 
added  to  the  sales  line,  or  with  an  occasional  talk 
which  has  brought  unusually  good  results  in  the  entire 
general  field. 

Any  letters  returned  by  the  postal  authorities  are 
sent  at  once  to  the  inquiry  department,  and  the  corre 
Keeping  Lists  sponding  card  is  at  once  removed  from  the 
Free  of  list  and  destroyed.    Thus  all  the  lists  are 

Deadwood"  ^^^^  thoroughly  up-to-date  and  no  "dead- 
wood"  is  allowed  to  accumulate. 

A  system  of  this  kind,  or  one  similar,  is  invariably 
employed  by  experienced  managers  of  correspondence 
departments,  and  is  invaluable  as  an  attribute  to  their 
work.  Original  solicitation  in  any  manner  is  rendered 
doubly  effective  through  efficient  and  reliable  follow-up 
methods,  and  persistent  work  of  this  kind  is  made 
possible  only  through  adequate  mechanical  appliances 
as  adjuncts. 


CHAPTER  XI 

CORRESPONDENCE  AS  AN  ADJUNCT  TO  THE 
SALESMAN 

BY  G.   D.   FORD 

Rapidly  changing  business  conditions  of  this 
rapidly  changing  age,  have  seen  the  duties  and  func- 
tions of  the  salesman  undergo  a  corresponding  develop- 
ment. Departmental  organization  calls  for  certain 
conditions  that  must  exist  between  the  various  depart- 
ments and  the  units  of  these  departments. 

The  salesman  formerly  represented  most  of  the 
sales  organization.  It  was  he  who  was  held  entirely 
responsible  for  the  sales  in  his  territory.  The  fact  that 
he  be  assisted,  to  any  material  extent,  by  the  home 
oflSce  was  scouted.  The  possibilities  of  the  ordinary 
commercial  letter  were  then  unknown.  It  was  a  prin- 
cipal firmly  held  to,  that  the  only  method  of  selling  was 
that  employing  the  traveling  salesman. 

Almost  the  reverse  is  now  the  case.  The  house  in 
its  organization  does  not  give  the  salesman  undue 
prominence.  Organization  takes  care  of  every  question 
that  bears  upon  efficacy  of  selling  goods.  There  is  no 
more  important  part  than  the  correspondence  depart- 
ment, which  by  initiative  opens  up  and  partially  de- 
velops a  new  field  for  the  salesman,  or  which  cooper- 
ates with  him  to  the  extent  that  his  work  is  made 
easier,  more  resultful,  and  more  pleasant. 

The  house  in  its  duties  to  the  salesman  has  three 
classes  of  relationship.  These  relations  are  to  the  fol- 
lowing : 

129 


130  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

(1)  The  individual  customer. 

(2)  The  trade. 

(3)  The  salesman  himself. 

It  is  assumed  that  the  house  is  one  selling  to  the 
trade  through  the  salesman  or  through  agents,  and  is 
one  that  does  a  nominal  amount  of  advertising.  Such 
is  the  outline  of  the  larger  class  of  commercial  busi- 
nesses to-day.  Such  a  business  is  between  the  mail 
order  house,  selling  direct  to  the  consumer,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  house  which  employs  the  salesman  only, 
to  canvass  the  consumer. 

The  first  step  in  the  correspondence  or  sales  cam- 
paign is  the  education  of  the  public  by  means  of  adver- 
tising. This  advertising  may  be  either  direct  or  in- 
direct. 

Indirect  advertising  aims  at  the  popularization 
of  the  product  by  means  of  such  an  amount  of  adver- 
tising as  will  first  interest  the  public,  sec- 
Advertising  ond  give  them  confidence  in  the  worth  of 
the  firm,  and  third  induce  them  to  buy 
the  product  advertised.  Direct  advertising  is  such  ad- 
vertising as  places  an  offer  or  definite  proposition  be- 
fore one  who  will  probably  buy.  Between  these  two 
and  really  a  modification  of  direct  advertising,  is  the 
method  of  sowing  broadcast,  by  means  of  the  mails, 
circular  letters,  booklets  and  other  literature  which  it 
is  hoped  a  fair  percentage  will  take  root  and  later  be- 
come a  much  desired  order.  All  this  constitutes  the 
education  of  the  customer  who  will  not  buy  until  a 
certain  amount  of  publicity  has  been  obtained  by  gen- 
eral advertising  and  a  certain  amount  of  specific  solici- 
tation has  been  made  of  him,  requesting  him  to  buy  the 
product.  This  education  of  the  public  is  one  of  the 
most  important  aids  to  the  salesman  that  can  possibly 


G.   D.   FORD  131 

exist  and  the  influence  of  a  tactful  letter  from  the  house 
to  the  prospective  customer  is  such  that  it  can  not  be 
over  estimated.  Not  only  does  it  prepare  the  ground 
for  the  planting  of  the  seed,  it  often  plants  the  seed 
itself  and  the  grain  is  waiting  for  the  salesman  to  har- 
vest when  he  arrives.  The  customer  brings  the  pressure 
to  bear  upon  the  retailer  to  the  corresponding  profit  of 
the  salesman. 

Under  the  second  head,  relation  of  the  house  to  the 
trade,  we  find  an  important  relationship,  and  one  where 
more  misunderstanding  can  come  than  in  any  other 
place.  Only  the  man  who  has  "carried  a  grip"  and 
met  his  trade  year  in  and  year  out  can  realize  to  what 
an  extent  the  individual  make  up  the  "trade'^  lean 
upon  the  home  oftice.  Beginning  with  the  merchant  at 
the  crossroad  store,  who  pictures  in  his  mind  all  the 
characteristics  of  the  man  with  whom  he  is  in  constant 
touch,  to  the  city  buyer  who  "likes  the  hang  of  that  fel- 
low's letter,"  there  is  the  widest  range  of  impressions 
made  by  the  correspondence  of  the  house.  The  country 
merchant  is  never  under  the  high  pressure  that  the  city 
merchant  is.  Business  took  in  is  more  a  matter  of 
friendship  oftimes  than  a  strict  accounting  to  rules  of 
barter  and  trade.  He  knovrs  the  wants  of  his  patrons, 
their  successes,  their  failures. 

The  short,  crisp,  snappy  letter  coming  from  the 
city  house  is  to  him  an  indication  that  the  writer  is 
^g  not  a  friend,   he  is  not  human.     He  is 

"Un-Human"  simply  a  cog  in  the  wheels  of  the  business 
Letter  machine  of  the  city  house,  having  as  a 

task  the  grinding  out  of  a  certain  amount  of  dollars. 
In  all  probability  the  country  merchant  thinks,  too, 
that  the  reason  why  the  man  with  whom  he  is  in  weekly 
communication  is  not  his  friend,  is  because  "it  is  not 


132  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

his  disposition."  It  is  hard  for  the  country  merchant 
to  realize  that  the  same  sleepy  conditions  do  not  pre- 
vail in  the  city  office  that  hold  in  the  country  town. 

Right  here  is  the  correspondent's  opportunity.  If 
he  has  ever  "carried  a  grip"  himself,  if  he  can  realize 
the  hopes,  plans  and  ambitions  of  the  man  to  whom  he 
is  writing,  or  if  he  is  naturally  a  wholesome,  hearty, 
wholesouled,  good  fellow,  his  letters  will  have  the  rare 
touch  of  good  fellowship  that  can  not  be  imitated  and 
which  can  not  be  injected  into  a  letter  by  any  slavish 
adherence  to  rules  of  correspondence,  or  worked  out 
forms. 

We  see  every  day  that  the  best  correspondent  for 
handling  the  country  trade  is  the  one  who  is  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  man  to  whom  he  is  writing  and  who 
thoroughly  knows  the  conditions  which  the  country 
store  man  has  to  meet.  Now  and  then  there  lives  a  man 
who  is  able  to  sense  this  intuitively  without  having 
come  up  through  the  ranks  himself,  but  such  men  are 
rare. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  country  store  by 
any  means  furnishes  the  greater  part  of  the  patronage  of 
an  ordinary  business,  for  though  their  portion  is  large, 
country  business  conditions  provide  for  the  subagency 
as  well.  This  often  is  a  distributing  point  in  a  com- 
paratively large  district  and  the  firm  is  made  up  of 
the  best  business  men  of  the  district.  These  men  often 
are  drawn  from  the  surrounding  country  and  are  in 
close  touch  with  it  in  their  bringing-up,  their  train- 
ing and  their  trade  relations.  Besides  this  there  is  the 
city  trade,  by  which  is  meant  the  trade  in  the  city  of 
above  say  20,000,  where  the  same  conditions  hold  as 
in  the  larger  places. 

Under  the  third  heading,  the  relation  of  the  house 


G.   D.   FORD  133 

to  its  salesmen,  we  come  to  the  most  vital  part  of  the 
duties  of  the  correspondent.  If  a  customer's  letter  is 
wrongly  written,  if  it  is  the  worst  possible  kind  of  a 
botch,  it  reaches  only  an  individual.  The  only  damage 
that  is  done,  is  that  one  customer  and  those  under  his 
immediate  influence  are  lost.  Even  after  the  customer 
has  been  positively  mistreated  by  the  correspondent, 
the  combined  efforts  of  the  dealer  and  the  salesman 
may  whip  him  into  line,  "jolly  him  up,"  and  get  his 
order  and  make  him  a  friend  of  the  house.  What  is 
said  about  the  fool  correspondent  is  generally  not  a 
matter  of  record  and  if  he  does  not  have  another 
chance  to  kill  the  sale,  it  may  be  made  and  the  cus- 
tomer may  be  retained  as  a  friend. 

Poor,  tactless  letters  to  the  trade  may  be  met  by 
the  demand  of  the  individual  customer  to  have  a  cer- 
tain product ;  the  salesman  may  be  so  near  to  the  trade 
and  know  it  so  well,  that  sales  may  be  saved  and  no 
great  harm  done. 

But  when  the  correspondence  of  the  house  to  the 
salesman  is  not  what  it  should  be  it  imposes  the  great- 
est handicap  upon  the  entire  business  that  is  possible. 
The  salesman  has  to  compete  with  the  most  discour- 
aging set  of  conditions  that  can  possibly  assail  a  man. 
The  irregular  hours,  poor  accommodations,  the  con- 
stant atmosphere  of  rebuff  in  which  he  has  to  work, 
makes  any  mistake  on  the  part  of  the  house  a  heavy 
burden  in  addition  to  the  selling  conditions  which  he 
has  as  a  part  of  his  business  all  the  while  to  encounter. 
If  he  be  a  poor  man  or  one  in  need  of  constant  en- 
couragement, a  poor  cooperation  on  the  part  of  the 
correspondence  department,  means  that  his  selling  effi- 
ciency is  lowered  just  that  much  with  a  corresponding 
loss  to  the  house. 


134  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

It  would  seem  therefore  that  here  is  an  unexcelled 
opportunity  for  the  correspondent  to  grasp  a  great 
opportunity.  Regarding  the  entire  business  organiza- 
tion as  a  selling  force  of  which  he  is  a  part,  his  is  the 
task,  first,  to  embody  in  his  communications  that  elusive 
element,  true  salesmanship  and,  second,  to  keep  the 
salesman  at  all  times  supplied  with  the  most  exact  in- 
formation regarding  the  house,  its  territory  and  its  cus- 
tomers and — what  is  so  rarely  done — make  every  let- 
ter a  sales  letter  and  so  a  letter  of  cooperation. 


CHAPTER  XII 
WHOLESALING  BY  MAIL 

BY  P.  C.  DOLARD 

The  first  reply  I  ever  received  to  one  of  my  form 
letters  read  something  like  this: 

"Gentlemen: — I  have  just  received  your  circular 
letter  of  the  15th  inst.  We  are  not  in  need  of  any- 
thing in  your  line  to-day;  perhaps  sometime  in  the 
future,'*  etc.,  etc. 

When  the  writer  referred  to  a  "circular  letter  re- 
ceived," I  knew  it  was  all  over  with  him,  and  from 
that  day  to  this  I  have  sent  out  only  composite  letters, 
printed  by  the  best  process  obtainable.  And  I  always 
leave  from  one  to  five  "insert  spaces"  scattered  through 
the  body  of  the  letter  and  see  to  it  that  all  work  turned 
out  on  the  "form  machines"  matches;  if  it  does  not, 
I  remove  the  cause. 

Some  houses  have  a  buyer  who  buys  everything 
needed.  When  anyone  offers  a  cheaper  process,  the 
first  thing  he  considers  is  the  dollar,  and  orders  from 
the  new  man,  sacrificing  quality  to  save  that  dollar, 
regardless  of  whether  the  work  will  be  as  good  as  the 
best.  The  same  principle  applies  in  buying  stationery. 
Some  houses  put  their  form  letters  on  the  cheapest 
stock  they  can  buy.  They  claim  that  it  is  only  a  cir- 
cular letter  and  that  there  is  no  use  to  waste  money 
on  expensive  stock.  I  am  positive  that  the  circular 
letter  I  send  out  is  the  best  that  I  can  get  up,  because 
it  takes  the  place  of  thousands  of  dictated  letters.    li! 

135 


136 


BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 


I  tried  to  dictate  a  letter  containing  one-half  of  the 
argument  during  the  busy  season,  I  would  never  get 
through,  and  I  would  not  be  able  to  get  as  much  busi- 
ness, simply  because  I  did  not  have  time  to  put  the 
right  argument  before  the  prospective  customer. 

The  art  of  letter  writing  has  been  brought  to  a 
point  of  perfection  by  the  mail-order  business.  A  trade 
compelling  courtesy  and  politeness  is  injected  into  our 
correspondence  by  pleasantly  acknowledging  all  orders, 
arranging  complaints  and  attending  to  the  individual 
wants  of  each  correspondent. 


^AAAA•^A.    4LM.4    (^^. 


Form  I 


A  one-line  concern  will  find  that  direct  advertis- 
ing pays  better  than  anything  else  where  the  goods  are 
Direct  Adver-  ®^^^  ^^  ^^^  dealer,  and  not  to  the  cus- 
tisingby  tomer,  without  the  aid  of  traveling  men. 

Correspondence     rj.^^  ^^^^^^   ^^^  ^^^  ^p  ^j^^  advertising 

matter  should  bear  two  things  in  mind.  First,  it  costs 
money  to  get  new  customers,  and  the  sooner  you  get 
them  on  your  books  the  better.  Make  them  an  espe- 
cially attractive  proposition  on  something  you  know 
is  staple  in  their  part  of  the  country  to  induce  them 
to  send  in  this  sample  order.  Second,  arrange  your 
"catalogue  request"  line  so  that  the  dealer  will  feel 


p.    C.    DOLARD 


137 


chat  he  has  lost  a  great  deal  of  money  by  not  having 
one  at  hand  to  refer  to,  and  should  write  at  once  for  it. 
Once  place  the  catalogue  and  quotations  in  his 
hands  and  you  can  argue  with  him.  After  sixty  days 
of  letter  writing — if  he  does  not  order  sooner — we 
pass  his  card  to  the  advertistng,  or  publicity  case,  and 
once  or  twice  a  month  send  him  whatever  we  have  pre- 


«.£>.  Co.  jf3iA.yL&j^.. 


l>*pulatiM &7.ASX. 

Hating.2Cjo:^»,.  Formtf  Ttrmt *^.. 

Job$  StU...^,.t: Hot  ihipptd^i 

Highnt  Cf^H. rC-j^We*  U$t^ 

fay* ,tr.>.. 

.      •      •      t. --r... 


Whta  Out. 


Form  II 


pared  for  circularizing  at  that  time,  and  continue  to 
send  him  advertising  matter  during  the  year  he  makes 
inquiry  and  all  of  the  year  following,  provided  we  do 
not  get  some  other  representative  in  the  meantime.  Our 
object  in  circularizing  so  much  is  to  bring  in  the  safla- 


138  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

pie  order  by  offering  something  staple  at  a  very  low 
price.  By  this  means  we  are  able  to  demonstrate  the 
worth  of  our  line  as  compared  with  others.  Publicity 
counts.  Bombard  your  customers  and  advertising  list 
with  catchy,  well-written  circular  matter,  and  it  will 
not  be  long  until  when  they  want  something  in  your 
line  they  will  think  of  you.  If  your  prices  are  right 
you  will  get  first  chance,  and  with  that  the  battle  is 
half  won. 


C^OATUbOAA^.TV  •  6*A*Y 


5*30 


UC  ^   F  W.  •^a^WlJba-S^^^ 


^^jbl-tggs- 


OAk^tftLtfNA  . 


Form  in 

All  mail  is  received  and  opened  at  the  mail  desk. 
The  return  envelopes,  which  are  inserted  in  all  cata- 
Incoming  Mail  ^^^^  ^^^  correspondence,  are  sorted  from 
-How  Handled  the  others  and  opened  first,  because  they 
and  Distributed  generally  contain  orders,  and  getting  at 
the  orders  first  expedites  matters.  All  other  mail  fol- 
lows, as  soon  as  ready,  to  the  correspondents,  who  han- 
dle the  mail  alphabetically  by  name.  For  instance, 
one  takes  A-D,  another  E-J,  and  so  on.  On  account  of 
the  varied  requirements  we  send  all  mail  to  the  corre- 
spondents first,  and  they  make  memoranda  across  the 
face  of  the  letter  for  what  they  want  from  the  files  and 
records. 


p.    C.    DOLARD 


139 


ReqBests  for  catalogs  go  to  the  "look-up"  depart- 
ment, where  slip  (Form  II)  is  attached  and  filled 
out,  giving  all  the  information  we  have  about  the  party. 


^r      CATALOGUE    M  *^                                                   \^ 

GEAR 

O.  H.  SPRING      '^ajJliU  —             *-OOP 

AXLt 

LONG  DISTANCE     OLAjelA  . 

TRACK 

XVOAACMJU-                                     in 

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WHEELS 

A  GRADE       1j^                                      ^ 

COLOR 

GMlM.    \fkAXUA                         g 

BODY 

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STEPS 

RUBBER  PAD                                                   J 

CARPET 

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TOP 

MACHINE  BUFFED        FL      MtAO  LINIWOS 

BOW 

Mpa*              L.U.     ««,«,C«.T. 

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RUBBER 

p.  OR  S. 

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Form  IV 


The  bottom  of  the  slip  is  marked  "Not  on  list,"  and 
then  the  town  is  given  a  map  "look-up."    If  it  does  not 


140 


BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 


conflict  with  a  customer  and  is  not  from  an  apparent 
consumer  we  quote  prices  and  send  catalog,  and  the 
original  request  is  put  in  the  "follow-up"  file,  and  the 
party  gets  a  letter  every  fifteen  days  for  sixty  days, 
unless  he  answers  or  orders,  in  which  case  the  letter 
is  taken  from  the  "follow-up"  file  and  attached  to  this 
second  letter.  After  that  it  is  filed  "miscellaneous," 
if  not  an  order,  and  "folder,"  if  an  order.  If  the 
answer  is  an  order  a  red  card  (Form  I)  is  made 
out,  and  the  white  card  (Form  III)  taken  up  and 
destroyed. 


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Form  V 


An  order  comes  direct  from  the  correspondent  to 
the  order  department  to  be  "written  up."  A  factory 
ticket  (Form  IV)  and  duplicate  order  sheets  (Form 
V)  are  made  out.  The  duplicate  sheet  and  the  ticket 
then  go  to  the  factory,  stopping  only  at  the  traffic 
manager's  desk  for  routing  and  rate.  Arriving  at  the 
factory,  the  order  is  entered  on  their  "output"  record, 
the  ticket  sent  to  the  ^^buggy  builders"  to  fill  the  order, 
and  the  sheet  is  sent  to  the  shipping  clerk,  who  ar- 


p.    C.    DOLARD 


141 


ranges  for  shipment.  When  the  buggy  is  ready  to  go 
out,  the  sheet,  factory  ticket  and  receipted  dray  ticket 
are  returned  to  this  office,  and  they  are  attached  to  the 
original  order  and  filed  under  the  order  number. 

Now  for  the  office  work.  The  original  order  sheet 
goes  from  the  order  department  to  the  "look-up"  de- 
partment, where  it  is  entered  on  the  customer  card 
(Form  I)  and  on  the  record  card  (Form  VI),  which 
is  located  in  the  case  by  guide  cards   (Form  VII), 


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Form  VI 


which  is  filed  geographically.  Then  the  sheet  goes  to 
the  billing  department  (the  invoice  is  held  until  the 
factory  tickets  come  through  as  above,  and  is  sent  out 
on  the  day  of  shipment),  and  then  goes  from  here  to 
the  bookkeeping  department  for  charge.  Then  it  goes 
into  a  loose-leaf  binder,  to  be  kept  for  future  refer- 
ence. 

If  the  order  is  from  a  jobber,  to  be  shipped  direct, 
we  make  out  an  additional  card  for  this  customer 
(Form  VIII),  which  gives  us  a  cross  reference  in  case 


142  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

the  jobber's  customer  writes  to  us  in  regard  to  the 
buggy  shipped  at  any  future  time. 

All  orders  are  acknowledged  by  letter  and  the  car- 
bon filed  in  the  "acknowledgment  folder"  under  the 
initial  of  the  party  ordering.  If  we  want  to  know  if 
an  order  is  in  the  house  for  anyone  we  look  in  the 
folder,  and,  as  we  acknowledge  all  orders  at  once,  we 


/n^ 


POST  OKFICE 


J^CUr\yl^Ck^ 


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CORRESPONDENCE  NO. 

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REFERCNCC 


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PRICE  LIST     • 

(OVER)    L 


Fonn  Vn 

are  sure  to  find  out  there  if  the  order  has  been  accepted. 
If  it  is  not  accepted  the  carbon  of  our  answer  is  then 
in  the  regular  files. 

Turning  inquiries  into  orders  is  very  important 
work.  I  use  a  "follow-up'^  file  for  every  promise,  tip 
Turning  ^^^  other  information.    It  is  arranged  to 

Inquiries  allow  for  regular  follow-up,  any  number 

Into  Orders  ^^  ^^^^  apart,  according  to  the  locality 
and  season.    I  first  take  thirty  vertical  file  guides  and 


p.    C.    DOLARD 


143 


number  them  with  black  ink  from  1  to  30  consecu- 
tively, for  each  day  of  the  month  (if  the  month  has 
thirty-one  days,  put  your  follow-ups  for  the  31st  under 
"1"),  and  put  on  the  letters  "A"  through  "J'^  in  red 
ink  on  guides  from  1,  including  10,  and  repeat  from 
11  through  20,  and  21  through  30  (Form  IX).  Then 
take  120  vertical  filing  folders  and  mark  in  black  thirty 
of  them,  "2  P.  S.,"  thirty  "3  F.  S.,"  thirty  "4  F.  S.," 
and  thirty  "Special."  Then  make  up  sets  of  four  fold- 
ers, one  each  as  above,  in  order  named,  and  place  them 
following  the  guides.  This  finished,  the  "follow-up'* 
file  is  ready  for  business. 


^^•mSUaam. 


^rt^. 


e.«.««auc^. 


izLiini;^ 


^K 


Form  vm 


With  this  arrangement  you  may  have  an  unfailing 
reminder  every  day  for  all  matters  filed  ahead  any 
number  of  days. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  date  is  stamped  on  white 
card  (Form  III).  We  pay  no  attention,  as  far  as  this 
file  is  concerned,  to  the  month  or  year.  This  leaves 
"7,"  and  under  guide  7  in  "2  F.  S."  folder  the  original 
letter  is  filed  and  remains,  say,  fifteen  days.  Then  it 
comes  out  and  gets  "looked-up" — that  is,  the  white 
card  is  located.  If  the  party  has  not  ordered  (which 
would  be  marked  on  the  card,  thus:    "Ord.  10/14"), 


144 


BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 


he  gets  letter  ^'2  F.  S.,"  and  the  original  is  again  filed 
under  the  same  guide,  but  in  the  "3  F.  S."  folder,  and 
so  on,  until  the  party  is  heard  from.  If  the  party 
should  answer  in  such  a  way  as  to  necessitate  the 
tenor  of  our  letters  to  be  changed,  we  put  the  original 
letter  and  the  last  carbon  in  the  "Special"  folder  under 
the  date  we  want  to  write  again  and  mark  the  date — 
for  instance,  "20" — on  the  white  card  (Form  III), 
which  shows  us  that  it  is  filed  under  guide  20  in  the 
•^Special"  folder. 


Form  IX 

I  always  start  with  the  guide  marked  with  the 
same  number  as  the  date  on  which  the  work  is  to  be 
done  and  take  out  all  letters  from  the  folders  for 
follow-up,  including  the  "Special,"  according  to  the 
time  decided  upon.  The  "Special"  folder  for  the  date 
in  question  is  the  only  "Special"  disturbed;  the  rest 
are  taken  out  in  groups.  For  instance,  if  the  follow- 
up  is  five  days,  take  out  all  letters  under  guides  in  the 
same  position  as  the  date  on  which  you  are  working; 
if  ten  days,  take  out  that  day's  folders  and  the  folders, 
not  including  "Special,"  from  every  other  guide  bear- 


p.    C.    DOLARD  145 

ing  the  same  alphabet  letter;  if  fifteen  days,  every 
third  guide  in  the  same  position;  if  twenty  days,  the 
"4  F.  S."  and  "Special'^  under  the  guide  for  the  day 
the  work  is  being  done,  and  the  ^'2  and  3  F.  S."  folders 
under  the  other  guides  bearing  the  same  alphabet  let- 
ter; if  twenty-five  days,  add  five  to  the  date  you  are 
working  and  take  out  from  that  folder  also.  For  in- 
stance, if  you  are  working  on  the  seventh,  take  out 
letters  under  guides  7  and  12. 

On  all  of  the  above  changes  in  time  between  writ- 
ing, except  the  last  one,  the  folders  will  alternate  in 
showing  up  automatically,  and  require  no  mathema- 
tician to  "figure  it  out.'^  To  show  this  point,  take  the 
twenty-day  follow-up  to  be  worked  on  the  fourth  of 
the  month.  You  will  start  with  guide  4 — take  out 
''Special"  and  ''4  F.  S."  folders;  under  guide  14,  "2 
F.  S."  folder;  under  guide  24,  "3  F.  S."  folder. 

Of  course,  the  above  arrangement  may  appear  a 
little  elaborate  to  some  people,  but  when  you  stop  to 
think  of  the  large  number  of  letters  we  deem  worth 
following  up,  you  will  see  that  it  takes  some  system 
a  little  more  complete  than  ordinary.  I  will  also  men- 
tion that  the  entire  oflSce  contributes  to  the  filling  up 
of  the  "Special"  folders,  with  all  sorts  of  matters  re- 
quiring future  attention.  The  person  who  wants  a 
note  filed  simply  attaches  a  slip  made  out  something 
like  this,  "File  ahead  to  10/17,"  and  passes  it  over  to 
our  department  for  filing.  We  return  it  with  all 
papers  received  in  the  meantime  the  day  it  shows  up  in 
the  file. 

Some  otherwise  good  firms  slight  the  very  points 
in  ciorrespondence  that  make  the  mail  order  depart- 
ment of  a  business  a  success.  To  cite  one  case  for 
illustration:  A  large  concern  received  an  inquiry  in 
10 


146  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

reference  to  the  price  of  a  certain  article.  When  the 
answer  was  received  it  was  not  complete;  there  were 
two  or  three  important  questions  left  unanswered.  The 
inquirer  wrote  another  letter  explaining  the  necessity 
of  an  answer  covering  the  points  mentioned.  Then 
came  a  wait  of  ten  days,  when  a  follow-up  letter 
arrived,  but  no  answer  to  the  questions.  Then  the 
inquirer  wrote  again.  Then  a  wait  of  three  days,  when 
a  letter  was  received  which  was  well  written  and  con- 
tained every  bit  of  information  asked  for  in  the  first 
place.  The  inquirer  was  satisfied  to  give  them  the 
order  and  did.  The  order  was  given  provided  certain 
conditions  were  complied  with  in  reference  to  time  of 
delivery,  and  this  company  has  not  so  far  deemed  it 
worth  the  while  to  even  acknowledge  the  order.  To  an 
experienced  person  this  tells  the  story  of  incompetent 
oflSce  management.  I  will  try  to  point  out  the  defects 
of  this  particular  case.  The  letter  from  the  inquirer 
arrives;  the  correspondent  reads  it  for  digest  and 
should  have  checked,  thus,  (V)^  each  point  needing 
answer,  and  cross-checked,  as  he  came  to  and  answered 
them.  This  would  have  insured  the  answering  of  all 
the  questions — a  vital  point.  Then,  when  the  inquirer 
wrote  the  second  time  it  should  have  prevented  the 
sending  of  a  follow-up — which  sounds  foolish  to  a 
business  man  who  is  seeking  information  from  you  and 
cannot  get  it.  This  shows  that  the  way  of  filing  and 
indexing  is  not  what  is  needed.  Then  came  the  wait 
of  ten  days.  For  this  there  is  no  excuse.  Then  the 
inquirer  asks  why  he  does  not  receive  an  answer  to  his 
former  letter  and  receives  a  reply  such  as  he  should 
have  received  in  the  first  place.  This  shows  the  sys- 
tem to  be  lax,  correspondence  is  not  massed  properly 
and  not  answered  the  same  days  as  received.    This  is 


p.    C.    DOLARD  147 

very  important.  Then  the  next  and  last  point  was  the 
sending  of  the  conditional  order,  which  was  not  ac- 
knowledged in  any  way.  Imagine  a  concern  not 
thoughtful  enough  of  a  customer's  feelings  or  the 
future  of  its  business  to  take  the  trouble  to  let  him, 
know  whether  the  order  is  acceptable  under  the  con- 
ditions named. 

Cases  like  the  above  furnish  reasons  why  some 
men  fail  in  this  particular  line  of  work — business 
developing. 

For  years  the  manufacturer  and  large  jobber  have 
been  trying  to  solve  the  problem  of  selling  their  goods 
Usinff  ^^  ^^^  trade  without  the  aid  of  traveling 

Catalogues  men.  Every  year  we  find  more  of  them 
as  Salesmen  doing  it  on  a  plan  more  or  less  perfect, 
until  to-day  we  find  that  ninety-nine  per  cent  of  the 
progressive  buyers  of  the  country  would  rather  buy 
from  the  catalogue,  because  they  can  buy  cheaper. 

A  catalogue  can  take  its  line  to  each  of  a  hundred 
thousand  buyers  in  about  the  time  that  a  drummer 
could  pack  his  grip  and  travel  from  Kansas  City  to- 
St.  Louis. 

The  government  will  cover  the  country  with  cata- 
logues in  a  week,  while  it  would  take  an  army  of  travel- 
ing men  to  call  on  the  trade  in  each  town  as  often  as 
we  do  with  our  catalogue  and  other  pieces  of  direct 
advertising  and  letter  writing. 

When  a  manufacturer  decides  to  "wholesale  by 
mail,^'  he  should  remember  that  he  is  just  as  inde- 
pendent as  when  he  employed  traveling  men,  provided 
he  has  "good  goods  at  the  right  price.'' 

It  has  been  demonstrated  time  and  again  that  a 
one  or  two  line  concern  can  sell  more  goods  for  less 
money  and  still  make  more  money  without  traveling 


148  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

men  than  with  them,  for  two  reasons:  First,  because 
the  selling  expense  is  much  less,  and,  second,  because 
the  selling  price  is  less. 

This  gives  the  "mail-order"  man  the  upper  hand 
over  his  competitor  who  uses  traveling  men  and  who 
must  add  their  large  expense  account  to  the  selling 
price. 

Some  concerns  contend  that  traveling  men  are  a 
great  assistance  to  the  "credit  man."  This  is  true  to 
Credits  vs.  ^  certain  extent,  but  there  are  very  few 

the  Travel-  credit  men  nowadays  who  cannot  get 
ingMan  along    without    their    assistance,    simply 

because  they  know,  among  other  things,  that  the  very 
large  majority  of  merchants  who  are  close  buyers  are 
also  good  payers,  because  they  are  successful  with  their 
business. 

Catalogues  should  reach  their  destination  as  soon 
after  the  inquiry  is  received  as  possible,  because  the 
dealer  is  interested  in  the  line,  and  it  must  be  there 
first,  if  possible,  and  after  he  once  receives  our  cata- 
logue it  is  new  and  up-to-date  until  a  new  one  comes 
in.  Its  prices  are  guaranteed  and  it  is  always  ready 
to  do  business.  A  catalogue  calls  on  its  thousands 
of  dealers  in  the  time  that  a  drummer  could  call  on 
thirty — and  at  one-fifth  the  cost. 

It  is  the  advantage  of  selling  our  vehicles  by  mail 
over  selling  them  by  traveling  men  that  the  ratio  of 
expense  diminishes.  When  another  factory  sells  an 
extra  amount  of  goods,  they  must  put  on  more  road 
men,  so  their  ratio  of  expense  is  still  the  same.  The 
more  one  sells,  the  less  it  costs  to  sell. 

Of  course,  the  success  of  "wholesaling  by  mail" 
hinges  on  system,  and  without  it  you  are  lost. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  COLLECTION  LETTER 
BY  C.  A.  RANSOM 


Perhaps  the  most  difficult  of  all  letters  to  write 
is  the  collection  letter,  for  the  reason  that  it  must  per- 
form the  hardest  feat  of  any  kind  of  correspondence — 
that  of  inducing  a  person  to  do  that  which  he  does  not 
wish  to  do,  and  will  put  off  doing  until  the  last  possible 
minute. 

The  sales  letter  has  but  to  convince  the  prospect 
that  he  needs  what  the  correspondent  has  to  sell,  the 
complaint  letter  has  only  to  satisfy  a  complainant  in 
regard  to  something  that  has  passed,  but  the  collection 
letter  must  change  him  from  unwillingness  to  willing- 
ness and  cause  him  to  act,  and  that  too  along  the  line 
of  greatest  resistance. 

The  function  of  the  collection  letter  is  one  of  great 
Importance  because  of  its  immense  potential  value  when 
properly  used.  The  open  account  particularly  is  of  lit- 
tle actual  use.  True,  it  represents  something,  but  it  is 
too  intangible  to  be  available  in  a  time  of  strenuous 
need.  Unlike  a  bundle  of  notes,  a  list  of  back  collec- 
tions can  not  be  taken  to  the  b?.nk  as  collateral  security. 
There  is  always  the  hope  that  the  list  will  clean  up  and 
that  the  hard  cash  represented  by  it  will  materialize. 
This  it  will  only  do  through  the  agency  of  the  collector 
or  collection  letter.  The  cost  bars  out  the  former;  the 
latter  is  the  means  that  falls  naturally  to  hand,  and 

149 


150  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

from  its  universality  of  application  and  efficacy  comes 
its  importance. 

Collection  letters  fall  naturally  into  three  classes: 

(1)  The  casual  dun. 

(2)  The  house  collection  letter. 

(3)  The  true  collection  letter. 

Letters  belonging  to  the  first  class  are  not  strictly 
collection  letters,  only  inasmuch  as  they  have  as  their 
object  the  making  of  a  collection.  Such  letters  as  these 
are  easily  called  to  mind,  and  have,  or  can  have,  no  gen- 
eral form,  usually  beginning  with  statements  entirely 
foreign  to  the  subject  and  leading  up  gradually  to  the 
point  which  is  the  cause  of  being  of  the  particular  letter 
in  question :  that  the  recipient  is  indebted  to  the  writer 
in  and  for  a  small  sum  which  is  casually — perhaps 
apologetically — mentioned.  This  style  of  letter  is  used 
most  commonly  between  friends,  more  than  in  the  busi- 
ness world.  However,  the  use  of  the  casual  collection 
letter  is  important  and  has  its  proper  place  as  a  busi- 
ness communication. 

As  an  example  of  this  class  of  communication  may 
be  mentioned  a  letter  that,  at  certain  times,  would  in- 
^jjg  variably   issue   from   one  of  the  largest 

Personal  grocery  houses  of  the  west.     When  the 

Appeal  credit  man  found  that  certain  of  the  old 

time  customers  of  the  house  were  behind  in  their  cus- 
tomary settlements,  he  would  have  written  a  tactful 
letter,  apparently  coming  from  the  head  of  the  house, 
who  was  known  throughout  his  territory  as  an  es- 
sentially fair  man — often  in  the  case  of  a  firm  known 
to  be  ticklish  as  regard  to  "duns," — written  with  a  pen 
and  ink  instead  of  in  typewriting.  This  letter  would 
merely  be  a  personal  appeal  asking  if  anything  was 
wrong,  and  insinuating  in  broad  and  general  terms 


C.   A.   RANSOM  151 

that  if  such  was  the  case  that  the  house  would  be  only 
too  glad  to  be  an  assistant  to  an  old  standby  like  the 
man  or  firm  addressed.  The  effect  of  one  of  these  per- 
sonal appeals  was  not  only  the  required  remittance, 
but  it  acted  as  a  means  of  forestalling  any  misunder- 
standing that  might  possibly  have  arisen  had  hackneyed 
methods  been  used. 

In  a  minor  sense  of  the  word,  though  not  in  the 
strictest  interpretation,  the  ordinary  house  letter  re- 
questing payment  is  not  a  collection  letter.  In  even 
many  of  the  largest  and  oldest  established  houses,  these 
smack  too  strongly  of  the  "form''  to  be  of  themselves  a 
real  letter.  It  is  only  after  the  account  has  run  by 
the  customary  thirty,  sixty,  or  ninety  days  that  the  per- 
sonal element  begins  to  manifest  itself  and  the  com- 
munication becomes  a  true  collection  letter. 

The  requirements  of  a  good  house  collection  letter 
are  comparatively  simple ;  indeed  they  are  so  simple  that 
Understanding  ^^^^  ^^  often  overlooked  or  passed  over. 
theDeiin-  The  first  and  main  essential  is  that  the 

quent  writer  understand  the  surroundings  of  the 

collection  itself,  and  more  particularly  the  event  or 
series  of  events  which  has  led  up  to  the  nonpayment 
of  the  overdue  account.  Many  a  man  is  a  capable  and 
fluent  correspondent  and  yet  can  not  realize  even  in 
the  smallest  degree  the  standpoint  of  the  man  to  whom 
he  is  writing.  This  comes  perhaps  from  the  fact  that 
he  has  not  been  "through  the  mill"  or  rather  through 
the  same  mill  as  has  the  man  who  is  down  on  the  list 
of  delinquents.  The  man  at  the  crossroad  store  looks 
upon  the  rest  of  the  world  with  different  eyes  than  does 
the  merchant  in  the  town  of  five  hundred  people.  The 
merchant,  who  j)erhaps  runs  a  department  store  :*n  a 
town  of  five  thousand  inhabitants,  has  a  different  view- 


152  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

point  than  does  the  man  in  the  city  of  five  or  ten  times 
that  size.  Least  of  all  does  the  point  of  view  of  the 
city  man — particularly  if  he  is  city  born  and  bred — 
coincide  with  the  point  of  view  of  the  country  mer- 
chant. The  least  touch  of  superciliousness,  or  what 
may  be  more  plainly  called  "big  headedness,"  stultifies 
the  effect  of  a  letter — more  particularly  a  collection  let- 
ter— quicker  than  anything  else  possibly  can. 

The  man  who  has  actually  had  the  experience  that 
the  man  to  whom  he  is  writing  has  had,  has  the  knowl- 
The  Essential  ^^S^  ^^  ^^^  command  that  can  make  his 
Element  letter  "ring  true ;"  he  can  see  in  his  mind's 

Fftirness  ^^^  what  excuses   he  himself  would   be 

making  under  the  same  circumstances  were  he  in  the 
other  man's  shoes.  So  is  he  able  to  answer  those  ex- 
cuses from  a  fair  though  logical  standpoint,  and  to 
make  a  collection  and  still  retain  the  man's  friendship 
and  his  trade,  requiring  as  it  does  fairness  above  all 
other  things. 

The  second  requirement  of  a  good  house  collection 
letter  is  that  it  makes  a  definite  and  reasonable  re- 
quest in  a  manner  firm  enough  to  bring  the  required 
result.  The  request  must  be  definite  or  it  will  probably 
receive  little  attention;  it  must  be  reasonable  or  it 
surely  will  not.  The  firmness  must  be  enough  in  evi- 
dence to  show  unmistakably  that  it  is  there;  it  must 
not  be  too  much  in  evidence  or  it  will  be  offensive,  and 
offensiveness  destroys  the  pleasant  relations  that 
should  exist  and  changes  compliance  into  resistance. 

The  remaining  main  requirements  of  the  house  col- 
lection letter  are  those  of  any  written  communication, 
to  observe  the  general  rules  of  good  sense  and  the  spe- 
cific rules  of  letter  writing. 

The  point  to  determine  as  regards  the  use  of  the 


O.   A.   RANSOM  153 


house  collection  letter,  is  whether  this  letter  should  be 
The  Form  unmistakably  and  distinctly  a  personal 

Collection  one.     Form  letters  have  this  advantage, 

etter  ^^^^  ^^^^  hsive  been  worked  out,  been  tried, 

and  hence  in  no  sense  of  the  word  are  an  unknown  quan- 
tity. The  disadvantage  is  that  the  collector  is  liable 
to  lean  too  hard  on  the  form  letter,  when  a  distinct 
personal  letter  would  accomplish  the  work  much  better. 
Then,  too,  the  recipient,  if  one  who  is  liable  to  be  habit- 
ually behind  in  his  account,  is  liable  to  receive  "Form 
One"  so  many  times  that  by  the  third  or  fourth  time  it 
is  received  it  is  liable  to  be  so  familiar  in  its  phrasing 
to  him  that  the  result  is  lost. 

It  may  be  said  that  there  are  two  classes  of  cus- 
tomers— and  consequent  delinquents — those  who  have 
a  broad  understanding  of  the  principles  of  business  and 
those  who  are  limited,  or  who  limit  themselves,  to  the 
narrowest  plane,  that  of  their  own  immediate  surround- 
ings and  to  those  cases  which  touch  themselves  and 
their  business  alone. 

The  form  of  letter  that  is  generally  used  and  has 
the  virtue  of  having  done  the  work  time  and  time 
again,  is  as  follows: 


Dear  Sir: — 

We  attach  herewith  a  statement  of  your  ac- 
count, and  although  the  total  is  not  large,  a  re- 
mittance would  be  of  more  than  the  usual  value 
to  us.  We,  therefore,  ask  that  you  forward  this 
amount  on  or  before  the  15th  of  the  month,  as  at 
that  time  we  have  a  number  of  unsually  heavy 
obligations  to  meet. 

While  there  is  no  slump  in  business  and  collec- 
tions are  about  as  usual — a  little  slower  than 
common,  if  anything,  yet  we  have  been  subjected 


154  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

to  an  unusually  heavy  expense  lately,  and  jour 
remittance  will  do  its  part  in  helping  us  out. 

In  going  over  the  comparative  statements  of 
the  business  received  from  you  during  the  past 
few  months,  and  the  corresponding  months  of 
last  year,  we  notice  that  we  have  not  received, 
perhaps,  a  fair  share  of  your  business.  This  can 
not  be  because  of  a  falling  off  of  your  trade,  as 
we  are  assured  that  you  are  having  a  successful 
year. 

We  shall,  therefore,  look  for  your  remittance 
by  the  15th,  at  the  very  outside,  and  will  greatly 
appreciate  it  if  a  substantial  order  accompanies 
the  same. 

Very  sincerely, 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  foregoing  asks  a  certain 
remittance  at  a  certain  time ;  shows  an  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  the  customer's  business,  asking  for  a  fair  share 
of  it,  and  tries  to  steer  a  middle  course  by  being  forcible 
enough  to  enforce  a  collection,  and  friendly  enough  to 
retain  the  customer's  friendship. 

There  are  many  credit  men  who  do  not  wish  to 
quote  the  shortness  of  funds  on  hand  by  the  house,  as 
at  reason  for  remittance.  In  place  of  this  specific  request 
a  general  reason  is  often  used  by  this  class  of  credit 
men ;  the  advantage  that  will  accrue  to  the  one  written 
by  doing  the  fair  thing  and  so  adding  his  mite  to  the 
vast  total  of  business  fairness  that  keeps  the  wheels  of 
commerce  oiled  and  going. 

In  direct  opposition  to  the  foregoing  class  of  form 
letter  is  a  direct  appeal  made  to  a  customer  known  to 
the  house,  and  who  must  be  approached  in  a  certain 
way  in  order  to  make  him  remit. 

As  an  example  of  this  class  of  letter  may  be  quoted 
the  following: 


0.    A.   RANSOM  155 

Dear  Sir: — 

There  must  be  some  reason  why  you  have  been 
letting  your  usual  prompt  remittances  to  the 
house  drag  along  as  they  have  been  doing  for  the 
past  three  or  four  months. 

We  know  the  condition  of  trade  in  your  part  of 
the  country  is  a  little  slow  at  present,  but  at 
the  same  time  we  feel  justified  in  asking  you  to 
keep  your  credit  up  to  the  usual  high  standard 
you  have  observed  in  the  past. 

We  are  going  to  be  very  frank  with  you  and 
state  unconditionally  that  we  need  the  money, 
even  the  small  sum  that  is  now  coming  from 
you. 

We  know  that  your  credit  is  perfectly  good  at 
the  First  National  Bank  of  your  city  to  any  rea- 
sonable amount,  and  that  it  puts  you  to  no  incon- 
venience to  secure  a  loan  of  this  size.  If  collec- 
tions are  such  that  they  do  not  warrant  your 
sending  this  amount,  you  will  find  the  First 
National  Bank,  we  are  sure,  is  ready  and  willing 
to  take  your  paper. 

Remembering  our  pleasant  relations  in  the 
past  and  the  many  favors  we  have  extended  each 
other,  we  will  look  with  confidence  for  your  re- 
mittance on  the  15th  of  the  month. 

Yours  most  sincerely, 

This  letter  must  at  all  times  be  based  upon  precise 
information  and  exact  knowledge  of  circumstances. 
Overcominff  Many  a  man  in  business  in  a  small  town 
Lack  of  needs    to    be    told    specifically    what    he 

Initiative  should  do  in  the  matter  of  collections.   He 

may  be  easy-going  or  possess  one  of  a  dozen  other  quali- 
fications which  unfit  him  for  definitely  going  ahead  and 
doing  a  particular  thing,  and  in  all  probability  he 
lacks — in  common  with  the  majority  of  mankind  the 
priceless  faculty  of  initiative.    When,  however,  a  cer- 


156  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

tain  plan  is  laid  out  for  him  and  made  easy  it  will 
bring  results,  where  a  general  request  would  bring  par- 
tial or  complete  ignorement. 

After  the  two  preceding  classes,  the  casual  dun 
and  the  house  collection  letter,  comes  the  true  collection 
The  True  letter,    by    which    is    meant — in    the    re- 

CoUection  stricted  sense  of  the  term — a  communica- 

etter  ^^^^  ^^  ^  debtor  from  a  creditor,  or  an 

authorized  representative  of  a  creditor,  the  object  of 
which  is  the  making  of  a  collection  regardless  of 
auxiliarly  circumstances.  This  class  of  letter  is  shown 
in  its  most  complete  light  in  the  communications  put 
out  by  collection  agencies  using  the  "letter  system." 

Unlike  the  house  collection  letter,  under  the  "letter 
system"  there  is  little  or  no  room  for  fairness.  It  is 
the  requirement  of  the  collection  agency  to  collect. 
One  of  the  reasons  leading  a  man  to  remit  is  that  it 
is  advisable  for  him  to  do  so.  He  owes  a  certain  ac- 
count. That  is  the  premise.  He  should  be  made  to 
pay  it.  That  is  the  conclusion.  This  leaves  no  room 
for  excuses,  extensions,  or  history  of  the  case ;  it  calls 
only  for  remittances,  and  the  larger  the  remittances, 
the  better  the  collection  letter  that  has  caused  them. 

The  history  of  the  collection  agency  letter  has  been 
one  of  evolution.  Half  a  dozen  years  ago,  it  was  con- 
sidered necessary  to  use  at  least  six  form  letters  in  ad- 
dressing a  list  of  debtors.  These  form  letters  generally 
made  no  pretense  to  being  a  dictated  or  personal  com- 
munication. They  were  printed  in  imitation  typewrit- 
ing and  sometimes  filled  in  by  hand.  Collection  agency 
methods  of  precedure  give  an  explanation  for  this. 

The  first  step  of  a  collection  agency  is  to  list  the 
claims  forwarded  them,  sending  form  "Number  I"  to 
the  various  addresses  on  the  list.  This  form  generally 
reads  as  follows: 


C.   A.   RANSOM  157 

Dear  Sir: — 

Our  client, ,  of , 

State  of  ,  has  this  day  placed  with 

this  Agency  for  immediate  collection,  a  claim 

against  you,  amounting  to  | ,  which 

is  now  long  past  due.  Presuming  that  your  fail- 
ure to  settle  this  account  has  been  more  through 
neglect  than  any  intention  of  yours  to  avoid  the 
payment  of  the  same,  we  respectfully  request 
that  you  will  call  on  or  write  to  our  client,  Mr. 

,  and  make  settlement  without 

any  further  delay.  We  will  not  take  any  action 
in  the  above  matter  for  ten  (10)  days  in  order 
that  you  may  have  a  chance  to  make  settlement. 
If  necessary  to  write  to  us  answer  on  the  back 
of  this  letter. 

Yours  respectfully, 

This  form  letter  is  as  effective  as  any  kind  of  let- 
ter would  be  for  the  reason  that  any  responsible  per- 
Why  the  ®^^  receiving  a  letter  from  a  collection 

Vorm  Letter  agency  will  answer  it  at  once,  stating  the 
18  Effective  facts  regarding  the  claim  as  viewed  by 
him  and  negotiations  may  be  entered  upon  between  the 
agency  and  the  debtor  at  once.  During  this  time  the 
claim  is  marked  "wait"  on  the  list,  showing  that  special 
work  is  being  done  upon  it  so  as  to  prevent  other  form 
letters  being  sent.  The  remainder  of  the  list  not  answer- 
ing the  first  communication  is  made  up  of  those  to 
whom  a  form  letter  means  as  much  as  a  personal  com- 
munication. When  a  list  is  made  up  of  farmers  or 
workingmen  it  will  be  found  that  a  circular  or  form 
letter  is  given  substantially  the  same  attention  as  a 
personal  one. 

The  remaining  letters  are  progressive  in  intensity. 
As  seen  by  the  first  letter,  that  form  merely  notifies 
the  debtor  that  the  claim  has  been  listed  with  the  col- 


158  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

lection  agency  and  tactfully  requests  the  settlement 
with  the  client,  not  the  agency. 

The  form  of  letter  which  formerly  was  the  third, 
but  is  now  generally  sent  out  as  the  second  letter  of 
the  series,  reads  as  follows : 

Dear  Sir: — 

We  are  surprised  to  be  obliged  to  again  call 
your  attention  to  the  claim  placed  in  our  hands 

by  Mr ,  of , 

State  of ,  amounting  to  | 

We  wish  to  impress  upon  your  mind  that  simply 
because  we  have  been  so  lenient  with  you  up  to 
this  time,  that  we  are  not  going  to  let  the  matter 
rest,  by  simply  writing  to  you.  The  amount  is 
justly  due  your  creditor  and  the  same  must  be 
paid  immediately  unless  you  wish  us  to  place 
your  name  on  our  delinquent  list,  which  will 
make  it  impossible  for  you  to  obtain  any  further 
credit.  Our  delinquent  list  is  in  the  hands  of 
every  reliable  merchant  and  professional  man  in 
the  state.  That  there  may  be  no  mistake  in 
your  case  we  should  urge  you  to  call  on  or  write 
to  your  creditor  immediately.  Unless  same  is 
reported  to  this  Agency  as  being  paid  or  satis- 
factorily settled,  we  shall  be  obliged  to  proceed 
in  the  premises. 

Answer  on  the  back  of  this  letter. 

Yours  respectfully, 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  main  point  of  this  letter 
is  the  one  making  a  reference  to  a  certain  "delinquent 
list"  on  which  it  is  presumed  the  party  addressed  would 
not  care  to  have  his  name. 

What  was  formerly  the  sixth  letter  in  the  series, 
but  is  now  commonly  sent  out  as  the  third,  reads  as 
follows : 


C.    A.   RANSOM  159 

Dear  Sir: — 

We  have  recently  consulted  with  our  client, 
,  of  ,  in  ref- 
erence to  the  claim  that  we  have  repeatedly 
notified  you  of,  and  that  we  hold  for  collection 
against  you,  and  have  received  word  to  proceed 
and  prosecute  the  claim  at  once,  and  as  per  in- 
struction we  shall  proceed  to  have  the  claim 
verified  before  a  Notary  Public,  after  which  we 
will  begin  proceedings  to  enforce  the  collection 
forthwith. 

You  may  think  you  are  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  law,  and  that  you  need  pay  no  attention  to 
the  matter,  but  we  can  require  you  to  appear  in 
Court  in  obedience  to  a  summons,  and  if  you  fail 
to  appear  we  can  bring  you  up  on  supplementary 
proceedings.  This  will  necessarily  add  sheriff 
and  court  costs  to  the  above  claim,  besides  the 
publicity  of  a  lawsuit. 

We  have  no  desire  to  mislead  you,  but  we  be- 
lieve that  if  you  fully  understand  how  much  this 
small  claim  will  cost  you,  that  you  will  forward 
same  to  your  creditor,  so  that  we  can  stop  fur- 
ther proceedings.  Kindly  do  not  attach  any 
blame  to  us  if  we  necessarily  put  you  to  consider* 
able  trouble  and  costs  in  the  above  matter,  as 
we  have  been  very  lenient  with  you  in  the  past, 
but  we  have  now  come  to  the  conclusion  that  in 
duty  bound  to  our  client,  we  shall  forthwith 
avail  ourselves  of  the  laws  of  the  state  to  their 
fullest  extent,  which  are  in  such  case  made  and 
provided. 

Yours  truly, 

This  is  the  first  letter  of  the  series  that  uses  on 
the  margin  a  number  of  statements  giving  the  law  on 
attachments,  executions,  garnishments,  judgments,  sup- 
plementary proceedings,  and  other  matters.  These 
statements  are  printed  in  fine  type  on  the  left  hand 


160  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

margin  occupying  a  space  two  by  eight  inches.     The 
following  extracts  will  give  an  idea  of  their  character : 

"No  responsible  man  will  allow,  and  a  poor  man 
can  not  afford,  to  have  judgment  and  costs  rendered 
against  him.  The  proper  time  to  .make  a  defense  or 
settle  an  account  is  before  the  case  gets  into  court. 
When  once  judgment  is  entered,  defenses  are  barred. 

"It  is  common  law,  existing  in  every  state,  that 
any  person  or  persons  receiving  any  article  or  articles 
and  making  use  of  the  same,  is  liable  for  payment. 

^^Attachments — Attachments  allowed  in  action 
for  recovery  of  money,  at  time  of  issuing  the  summons, 
or  any  time  afterward,  against  property  of  the  defend- 
ant. 

^^Garnishments — Garnishments  in  any  action  in  a 
Court  of  Record  or  Justice  Court,  the  property,  money 
OP  effects  of  defendant  in  the  hands  of  or  under  the 
control  of  any  person  may  be  reached  by  garnishment. 

^'Supplementary  Proceedings — Upon  the  return  of 
an  execution,  unsatisfied  in  whole  or  in  part,  the  judg- 
ment creditor  may  procure  an  order  from  the  district 
court  requiring  the  judgment  debtor  to  appear  before 
the  judge,  or  a  referee,  and  answer  on  oath  touching 
his  property.  The  debtor  may  also  be  restrained,  by 
order,  from  interfering  with  or  disposing  of  his  prop- 
erty not  exempt  from  execution  during  the  proceedings. 
If  there  is  danger  of  the  debtor  leaving  the  state,  he 
may  be  arrested  upon  a  warrant  issued  by  the  judge  on 
proof  of  the  facts.  Witnesses  may  be  required  to  ap- 
pear and  testify  in  the  proceedings.  A  receiver  may  be 
appointed  with  power  to  take  the  property  of  the  debtor 
and  convert  it  into  money  and  apply  the  proceeds  upon 
the  judgment.  Disobedience  to  orders  made  in  these 
proceedings  is  punishable  as  contempt.  The  debtor  can 
not  be  excused  from  answering  questions  in  the  examin- 
ation on  the  ground  that  the  examination  would  con- 
vict him  of  the  commission  of  a  fraud." 

In  addition  to  the  regular  letter  head  the  following 
statement  appears  below  it : 


O.    A.    RANSOM  161 

^'Confidential  list  of  Unpaid  Bills,  giving  the  names 
and  addresses  of  the  debtors  in  full,  to  protect  mer- 
chants from  giving  credit  to  irresponsible  parties,  who 
are  making  no  effort  to  pay  their  honest  obligations, 
furnished  to  merchants  and  professional  men,  free  on 
our  Special  Report  Blanks. 

"Goods  obtained  under  false  pretenses  and  credit 
obtained  by  false  representations  or  any  act  of  fraud 
punishable' by  law  will  be  thoroughly  investigated.  We 
have  traveling  collectors  everywhere  to  visit  such  cases 
personally.'' 

Whether  or  not  these  forms  add  to  the  effectiveness 
of  the  collection  letter  is  a  debatable  question.  Some 
collection  agencies  hold  otherwise  and  do  not  use  them 
but  the  majority  of  collectors  still  adhere  to  the  use 
of  them  in  their  forms.  After  a  delinquent  has  replied 
to  a  form,  however,  it  is  customary  to  use  ordinary 
commercial  letter  paper  in  correspondence  with  him. 

While  not  in  the  strictest  sense  a  collection  letter, 
the  "Original  Notice  Before  Suit"  is  such  an  important 
Original  weapon  in  the  hand  of  the  collector  that 

Notice  Before  it  should  be  considered  as  cumulating  and 
^^*  bringing  to  a  head  the  influence  that  the 

various  collection  letters  already  written  have  had. 
This  form  is  shown  in  Figure  I,  and  is  sent  when  no 
response  is  had  to  letters  or  when  promises  made  by  the 
debtor  are  not  lived  up  to.  This  form  is  of  use  only 
when  judgment  has  not  been  had  on  the  claim,  and 
under  such  circumstances  has  been  found  to,  be  prac- 
tically efficient  in  effecting  small  claims.  Owing  to 
the  legal  aspect  of  the  document  it  is  given  attention 
when  letters  are  ignored,  for  the  ordinary  person  has 
a  well-grounded  dislike  of  law-suits. 

After  a  debtor  has  responded  to  a  form  letter,  the 
real  work  of  the  correspondent  begins.  It  is  often  said 
11 


162  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

Eeai  correapon-  ^^^*  ^^^  basis  of  salesmanship  is  diplo- 
dence-where  macy;  that  diplomacy  sells  more  goods 
it  Begins  ^YiRn  any  other  one  attribute.      But   the 

diplomacy  of  the  salesman  is  as  naught  by  the  side  of 
the  diplomacy  that  must  be  displayed  by  the  corre- 
spondent who  takes  up  a  claim  at  the  point  where  the 
form  letter  leaves  off.    The  salesman  seldom  or  never 


ORIGINAL  NOTICE  BEFORE  SUIT. 


Pfiuntijr 


Tm  mn  pUtM  Uit  MA«r  natllki  abort  mtwtM  pUinh/T*  tJum  Oat  pm  tn  udMit  It  Om  ur  tht 
ttm:tfSJi.2Z ,  ami  Oat  alOu^h  iulf  dtmMmitd.  Ot  mwu  Ut  mUm  p*U  trng  part  Omaf 

lUnv  Vhnrcforr,  ITmUu  yon  r*ml  «r  ippttr  <,t  ««r  agut*.  CitiMM  Bmk  BUf..  JtOtrt  tm. 
Hi  Ommtf  «rf  Stah  aforusii,  m  or  Ufort  iht-XSUUtf  -f      "ay  <  />  igoj^  .gtiO  ^clock 

h  A*  ftrtMM  ef  Ou  Mid  def.  awi  matt  pafmtml  to  ut  •/  m>i  cUm,  ttia  iaHrat  Oirmm,  erprmtd*, 
tm  a*  Ujuitmtnt  (kerttf.  luit  mill  U  broHgXl  forOwttk  for  thi  ttlaX  MMm/  mia  iaknit,  ttgdUr  Kith 
At  tntt  *Jti  iitivMmmU  af  Ou  oetion. 

tMt>lat3llbtrtLm,MiMmml». 


Figure  I;  The  Original  Notice  Before  Suit;  sent  folded  so  as  to  resemble  a 
summons 

has  to  deal  with  an  angry  customer;  he  has  only  to 
convince  him  that  he  will  do  him  good  by  selling  him. 
But  the  correspondent,  under  the  conditions  referred 
to,  has  to  deal  with  a  man  who  firmly  believes  he  has 
been  injured  and  yet  in  the  face  of  all  of  this,  this 
man  must  be  brought  to  do  one  of  the  most  difficult 
things  that  is  found  in  business;    viz.,    give   up    his 


C.    A.   RANSOM  163 

money.  "Paying  for  a  dead  horse,"  it  has  been  graphi- 
cally called.  When  the  two  elements  are  considered^ 
that  the  debtor  is  either  convinced  that  he  has  been 
wronged — probably  from  the  start — and  that  he  must 
pay  for  something  that  he  has  had  and  is  in  all  prob- 
ability now  used  up  or  worn  out,  then  the  magnitude 
9f  the  task  that  lies  before  collection  can  only  be  real- 
ized. 

The  stand  that  the  letter  takes  under  all  circum- 
stances is  this:  "We  neither  know  nor  care  as  to  the 
The  standpoint  merits  of  the  case.  Your  position  may  be 
ofthecoiiec-  right  or  it  may  be  wrong.  In  the  eyes  of 
tion  Letter  ^^^  j^^  ^j^j^  j^  ^  j^^^  ^^1^^  ^^^  ^^  simply 

are  the  means  of  enforcing  the  law."  The  debtor  is  at  all 
times  urged  to  make  remittance,  not  because  it  is  right 
that  he  do  so,  but  because  it  is  advisable ;  that  the  law 
is  such  that  he,  being  a  delinquent  is  subject  to  certain 
penalties,  and  that  it  lies  in  his  power  to  avert  the  en- 
forcement of  these  penalties  by — remittance. 

In  other  words  the  collector  regards  the  debt  as  a 
surgeon  would  a  superfluous  growth  that  it  is  necessary 
to  remove.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  a  correspondent 
who  is  super-sensitive  or  impressionable  makes  a  poor 
collector,  just  as  would  a  physician  who  is  morbidly 
depressed  by  the  sight  of  disease  be  unfitted  for  his 
calling. 

There  are  numerous  times,  however,  when  this 
stand  will  not  be  as  effective  as  what  may  be  called  the 
sympathetic  method  of  treatment.  A  large  number  of 
people  in  the  world — in  fact  the  greater  number  of 
people,  have  an  income  that  is  constantly  being  swal- 
lowed up  by  a  thousand  petty  expenses. 

Their  disbursements  being  larger  than  their  in- 
comes the  result  is  that  a  large  number  of  debts  grad- 


164  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

ually  accumulate.  Now  it  is  a  fact  that  these  debts 
will  be  paid  as  a  general  thing,  to  those  who  bring  the 
most  pressure  to  bear.  But  exclusive  of  this  class 
there  are  those  from  whom  collections  may  be  made  by 
wheedling  them  out  of  their  cash — not  by  forcing  it  out 
of  them. 

The  class  of  letter  which  does  this  may  be  termed 
the  sympathetic  letter.  The  sympathetic  letter  fairly 
j,^^  radiates  sympathy.    Not  only  does  it  as- 

sympathetic  sure  the  debtor  that  his  lot  is  hard,  but 
Letter  perhaps  mysteriously  hints  that  the  writer 

has  had  a  much  similar  grief  in  the  past  and  has  come 
through  the  experience  broader  and  better  because  of  it. 
This  letter,  it  is  needless  to  say,  requires  a  master  of 
the  letter-writing  art.  It  must  not  be  "slushy"  and  it 
must  keep  in  mind  that  remittances  must  follow. 

It  has  been  well  said  that  people  living  in  an  air 
of  sentiment  are  caused  a  great  deal  of  suffering  by  the 
brutal  letter,  and  feel  that  they  are  paying  their  debt 
in  that  manner,  and  prefer  to  make  payments  in  that 
way.  In  other  words  the  brutal  collection  letter  gives 
the  recipient  ample  chance  for  self-justification  and  the 
consequent  ignoring  of  all  communications. 

The  success  of  the  stereotyped  collection  letter  in 
enforcing  small  claims  has  been  taken  advantage  of 
House  ^^  many  business  houses  having  a  class 

Collection  of  trade  that  is  liable  to  lead  to  a  number 

etters  ^^   small,   relatively   unimportant   debits 

which  accumulate  and  which  an  ordinary  letter  of  col- 
lection will  not  reach.  The  means  by  which  the  collec- 
tion letter  is  used  under  these  circumstances  is  usually 
this: 

The  house  maintains  a  collection  agency  of  its  own 
consisting  in  the  main  of  a  number   of  form    letters 


C.    A.    RANSOM  165 

signed  by  either  the  house  attorney  or  a  collection 
agency  run  in  his  name.  This  gives  the  appearance  of 
letters  emanating  from  a  true  collection  agency  and  a 
certain  per  cent  will  remit  at  once  in  response  to  a  col- 
lection agency  letter  who  would  pay  no  attention  what- 
ever to  any  other  kind  of  demand. 

In  case  the  customer  writes  to  the  house  or  makes 
a  remittance,  it  is  often  possible  to  retain  his  good 
will  by  the  statement  that  the  agency  went  beyond 
what  they  were  authorized  to  do,  and  in  this  way  the 
only  harmful  result  of  a  severe  letter  is  mitigated  or 
annulled. 

Perhaps  the  one  thing  that  is  most  commonly 
noticed  in  connection  with  the  collection  agency  letter 
Unexpected  coming  from  a  true  agency  is  the  fact  that 
Effects  of  Col-  the  method  of  going  after  a  collection 
lection  Letters  hammer  and  tongs  often  makes  the  collec- 
tion and  at  the  same  time  retains  the  good-will  of  the 
debtor  himself.  As  a  side  light  on  human  nature  it 
is  an  interesting  fact  that  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  for 
a  debtor  who  has  been  assailed  by  a  series  of  collection 
communications,  to  remit,  and  in  send  ng  his  remit- 
tance enclose  a  list  of  claims  himself,  wiih  the  instruc- 
tion, "Put  the  enclosed  list  of  names  through  the  same 
experience  that  I  have  had."  The  interesting  excuses, 
too,  that  are  brought  to  life,  too,  by  collection  agency 
letters,  are  something  quite  wonderful  and  if  formu- 
lated in  a  volume  would  make  most  interesting  reading. 

Finally,  it  may  be  said  of  the  collection  letter  that 
its  principal  function  is  that  of  '^making  the  claim"  re- 
gardless of  any  of  the  conditions  which  may  surround 
it,  and  the  best  letter  as  judged  from  the  collection 
standpoint,  is  the  one  that  effects  the  largest  percent- 
age of  claims. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

INTERHOUSE   AND    INTERDEPARTMENT 
CORRESPONDENCE 

PART  I.      ADVANTAGE  OF  WRITTEN  ORDERS 
BY  C.  A.  BURT 

The  large  business  establishment  of  to-day  is  a 
living  manifestation  of  the  eflScacy  of  the  written  order. 
What  man  would  feel  safe  if  he  were  on  a  fast  train 
and  knew  that  it  was  traveling  on  verbal  orders? 
Would  he  not  immediately  be  concerned  for  fear  that 
the  engineer  had  misunderstood  or,  having  rightly  un- 
derstood might  forget? 

It  is  just  this  feeling  that  has  prompted  the  rapid 
introduction  and  retention  of  the  written  order  where- 
ever  possible.  There  is  no  justification  for  the  use 
of  the  verbpl  order.  It  may  be  not  only  misunder- 
stood at  the  time  of  giving  but  it  is  the  most  fruitful 
cause  of  misunderstanding  after  it  has  been  given. 
This  is  summed  up  in  the  business  adage,  "Make  all 
matters  of  business  importance  matters  of  record." 

This  making  of  business  obligations  a  matter  of 
record  is  one  that  can  not  be  overemphasized.  The  writ- 
ten order,  putting  its  instructions,  request,  or  order 
down  in  black  and  white,  puts  the  employ^,  department 
manager,  or  general  manager  "on  record,"  and  a  his- 
tory of  any  and  all  moves  on  the  part  of  everyone  con- 
cerned in  the  business  may  be  had  by  consulting  the 
files.    Promises  made  may  be  verified ;  predictions  may 

166 


0.   A.    BURT  167 

be  compared  with  what  actually  happened ;  orders  may 
be  checked  up  with  their  fulfillment. 

Interdepartment  communications  are  those  which 
pass  between  the  heads  of  the  various  departments,  as 
between  the  accounting  and  circulation 
Definition  department ;  between  the  general  manager 

and  the  various  department  heads.  There 
is  however,  a  class  of  interdepartment  communications 
which  may  better  be  termed  general  or  multiple  orders. 
The  general  or  multiple  order  is  one  issued  by  the  gen- 
eral manager  to  the  heads  of  the  various  departments 
under  him,  who  are  to  receive  the  same  general  instruc- 
tions. A  general  letter  of  this  class  will  be  one  re- 
questing the  observance  of  certain  general  conditions, 
as  one  asking  them  to  secure  better  efficiency  from  the 
various  employes  under  them,  one  calling  attention  to 
the  lack  of  system,  the  excess  of  red  tape,  general  slack- 
ness of  the  house  conditions  due  to  some  cause  within 
their  control,  etc. 

Often  a  general  order  letter  is  issued  by  the  gen- 
eral manager  calling  attention  to  a  condition  which  is 
the  fault  of  perhaps  only  one  or  two  departments  alone. 
This  letter  or  order  is  made  out  in  duplicate  and  ad- 
dressed to  each  man  for  whom  it  is  intended.  He  ac- 
knowledges the  receipt  of  the  communication  by  O. 
K.ing  the  original. 

This  order  heads  off  any  thought  on  the  part  of  the 
men  receiving  it  that  there  is  any  partiality  shown  or 
that  others  are  not  held  responsible  for  certain  condi- 
tions as  well  as  themselves.  The  efficacy  of  this  kind 
of  interdepartment  communication  is  very  marked  if 
given  a  timely  use. 

The  interhouse  letter  is  one  passing  between  dif- 
ferent houses  under  the  same  or  substantially  the  same 


168  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

control,  or  between  branches  of  houses  which  maintain 
separate  organizations  and  yet  are  one  in  management. 

Still  a  third  form  of  correspondence  is  seen  in  a 
treatment  of  the  independent  agent  by  the  house. 

The  independent  agent  has  the  anomaly  of  being 
at  the  same  time  an  authorized  representative  of  the 
^j^^  house  and  a  customer  as  well.    He  must 

Independent  in  fact  be  used  better  and  more  diplomacy 
^^^^  shown   in   his   treatment  than   with   the 

ordinary  customer.  Such  an  agent  has  built  up,  by 
strength  of  his  own  personality  a  patronage  of  his  own. 
This  trade  he  swings.  If  he  handles  one  line  one  year 
and  another  line  another  in  all  probability  ninety  per 
cent  of  his  trade  goes  with  him  to  the  new  house.  The 
difficulty  in  handling  him  is  at  the  first  sign  of  a 
falling  off  in  his  trade,  the  reason  must  be  deter- 
mined and  he  must  be  conciliated  and  again  placed  on 
the  best  business  basis  with  the  company  which  he 
represents. 

The  letter  which  stirs  the  agent  to  renewed  activity 
is  one  that  partakes  of  the  nature  of  an  interhouse  let- 
ter, inasmuch  as  the  agent  is  really  a  part  of  the  house. 
It  represents  and  also  partakes  of  the  nature  of  a 
letter  to  a  customer,  inasmuch  as  the  agent  is  at  the 
same  time  a  valued  patron  of  the  house  which  he  rep- 
resents. This  letter  must  avoid  the  one  extreme  of 
being  a  form  letter,  or  one  that  is  sent  under  "Falling 
off  in  trade"  conditions  to  all  agents,  and  at  the  same 
time  avoid  the  other  extreme  of  being  too  complimen- 
tary, too  familiar,  and  betraying  too  accurate  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  agent's  business.  The  agent  must  be  made 
to  feel  that  he  is  a  most  essential  unit  in  the  business 
organization ;  that  his  importance  is  duly  recognized  by 
the  house;  and  that  he  being  an  employ^ — so  to  speak 


C.   A.    BURT  169 

— of  the  house,  is  to  be  held  accountable  by  them  for 
the  results  of  his  agency. 

Where  system  finds  the  most  practical  application 
is  in  the  handling  of  inquiries  to  the  house,  from  cus- 
tomers in  an  agent's  territory.  There  are  two  conditions 
which  may  come  about  in  a  case  of  this  kind;  first, 
where  an  arrangement  exists  by  which  both  the  house 
and  the  agent  may  bid  for  the  prospect's  trade,  and 
second,  where  the  agent  is  jealous  of  the  incroachment 
of  the  house  on  his  territory. 

In  either  case  a  smoothly  working  system  is  called 
for.  The  principal  mechanical  detail  to  be  guarded 
against  is  the  "lost  motion"  on  the  part  of  the  house 
in  soliciting  the  prospect  when  he  has  become  a  cus- 
tomer through  the  operation  of  either  the  house  or  the 
agent,  when  both  are  bidding  for  his  trade. 

If  an  arrangement  with  an  agent  makes  it  obliga- 
tory— as  it  often  does — that  a  prospect  in  a  territory 
be  handled  by  the  agent,  it  means  that  the  firm  must 
write  the  prospect  a  letter  referring  him  to  the  agent, 
write  the  agent  of  the  existence  of  the  prospect  and 
follow  up  the  prospect  from  the  house. 

An  example  of  a  form  letter  to  the  prospect 
turning  him  over  to  the  branch  oflSce  or  local  agency 
follows : 

Your  inquiry  of received  at  this 

office  to-day. 

In  order  to  take  care  of  our  increasing  sales 

in  your  locality  Messrs & 

look  after  our  interests  there.  They  represent  us 
in  full  and  will  be  pleased  to  furnish  you  with 
prices,  lists,  and  any  information  which  we  our- 
selves could  give  you,  in  a  manner  that  can  not 
help  but  be  satisfactory  to  you. 

Your  letter  to  us  has  therefore  been  referred 


170  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

to  them  by  the  same  mail  *that  we  are  now  writ- 
ing you,  with  definite  instructions  to  favor  you 
in  every  way  possible. 

We  shall  watch  the  progress  of  your  inquiry 
carefully  and  are  satisfied  that  we  can  give  you 
the  best  service  through  the  cooperation  of  our 
agent  at 

Thanking  you  very  much  for  your  inquiry  and 
trusting  that  this  is  the  beginning  of  the  most 
pleasant  business  relations,  we  are. 

Yours  most  sincerely, 

The  letter  to  the  agent  sent  at  the  same  time  will 
read  as  follows: 

Gentlemen : — 

We  are  turning  over  to  you  the  inquiry  given 
on  the  bottom  of  this  sheet  and  request  that  you 
will  see  that  it  is  attended  to  at  once.  If  possible 
secure  their  business.  If  not  possible  to  do  this 
you  may  be  able  to  lay  the  foundation  for  busi- 
ness from  them  in  the  future. 

Please  acknowledge  receipt  of  this  notifica- 
tion and  later  let  us  know  what  steps  you  have 
taken  to  secure  their  business  and  what  was  the 
result  of  such  action. 

Our  first  follow-up  letter,  copy  of  which  you 
have,  will  be  sent  them  in  10  days  from  this 
communication. 

Yours, 

This  letter  should  be  accompanied  by  a  copy  of 
the  original  letter;  the  inquiry  should  be  retained  by 
the  company^s  files.  If  the  inquiry  is  short  it  may  be 
placed  on  the  bottom  of  the  sheet,  indeed  it  is  prefer- 
able that  it  be  so  arranged,  as  it  saves  an  extra  sheet 
for  filing  and  consequently  lessens  the  chance  for  losa 
or  misplacement. 


C.   A.    BURT  171 

If  so  desired  a  regnlar  "Inquiry  referred"  form  as 
shown,  may  be  used. 

Where  diplomatic  requirements  call  for  it,  the  let- 
ter should  be  used,  if  the  agent  would  feel  slighted 
or  would  not  give  as  close  attention  to  a  form  notifica- 
tion as  to  one  sent  by  letter.  Usually  the  agent  can 
be  made  to  understand  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  write 
him  the  same  letter  every  time  a  prospect  is  turned 


J.  DOE  A  CO.  CHICAGO.  PLCASt  GIVE  INQUIRY 

PROMPT  ATTENTION. 
iNOUIRV  NO.  2T42  REPORT  US  AS  TO  RESULT 

OF  YOUR  EFFORTS. 
TO  .  OUR  FOLLOW  -UP  WILL  00 

OUTIN DAYS 


XtKNTkCMCM*. 

THE  roLkowiNo  INQUIRY  IS  RcrciifteD  TO  vou: 


«.  eec  coMTONv 


"Inquiry  Referred"  form 

over  to  him  and  will  realize  the  labor-saving  side  of 
the  uniform  form  notification. 

The  follow-up  letter  which  issues  from  the  house 
should  be  aggressively  cordial,  should  above  all  things 
Interference  ^^*  smack  of  the  form  letter,  and  should 
to  be  Guarded  be  carefully  used  so  as  not  to  be  sent 
Against  after  a  sale  has  been  made  by  an  agent, 

as  it  will  impress  the  customer  with  the  laxness  of  the 
system  in  use  between  the  house  and  its  agencies.  This 
should  be  carefully  watched  for  and  avoided  by  im- 
pressing the  local  agent  with  the  importance  of  prompt 


172  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

reports  on  sales  in  hand  and  sales  made.  And  it  i» 
almost  superfluous  to  add  that  the  time  the  agency  is 
put  in  is  the  time  to  impress  this  upon  the  agent. 

The  agent  should  be  informed  of  the  follow-up 
system  used  by  the  house,  be  given  copies  of  the  follow- 
up  letters  sent  out,  so  that  he  will  not  feel  that  it  is 
the  design  of  the  house  to  do  anything  but  cooperate 
with  the  agency  in  sending  out  the  follow-up, 

A  general  form  for  a  follow-up  letter  is  here  shown, 
It  should  be  made  somewhat  more  specific  whenever 
the  scope  or  organization  of  the  business  will  permit : 

Your  inquiry  to  us  under  date  of , 

referring  to ,  was  turned  over, 

as  we  notified  you,  to  our agency. 

Not  having  heard  from  them  we  conclude  that 
your  order  is  still  deferred  for  some  reason  or 
other. 

We  know  that  we  are  able  to  satisfy  any  de- 
mand that  you  may  have  for  goods  in  our  line 
and  that  our  organization  is  such  that  we  are 
able  to  supply  you  promptly. 

Please  advise  us  if  your  treatment  by  our 
gency  has  been  satisfactory  to  you  and  if  we  can 
supplement  their  service  in  any  way  to  assist 
you  in  your  business. 

Thanking  you  for  any  information  that  will 
enable  us  to  cooperate  with  you  in  ^obtaining  the 
best  possible  service  from  our  agency,  we  remain. 
Yours  most  sincerely, 

One  of  the  most  important  functions  of  the  follow- 
up  letter  is  to  impress  the  customer  with  the  fact  that 
his  inquiry  is  referred  for  the  good  of  the  customer. 
There  may  be  and  sometimes  are,  however,  local  reasons 
why  the  country  customer  may  not  wish  to  trade  with 
the  agent.  When  this  is  the  case  special  attention 
should  be  given  the  matter. 


HENRY    W.    BELFIELD  173 

If  a  large  number  of  prospectives  are  turned  over 
to  a  branch  house  or  agency  a  blanket  Inquiry  may 
often  be  called  for  at  the  beginning  or  end  of  the  month. 
The  following  is  given  as  a  suggestive,  short,  and  com- 
prehensive form: 

Gentlemen : — 

During  the  month  of we  referred 

the  following  inquiries  to  you.  We  have  placed 
opposite  the  name  of  each  inquiry  the  disposal 
as  regards  your  office  as  far  as  the  notifications 
from  you  have  been  received. 

Will  you  please  inform  us  if  our  records  are 
complete  as  regards  the  disposal  of  these  pros- 
pects : 

1.  Fred  J.  Davis  &  Co.,  Elgin,  July  1st.    Sold 

July  5th. 

2.  F.   F.   Davidson,   Peoria,  July  1st.     Sold 

July  7th. 

3.  Hilton  &  Co.,  Springfield,  July  10th.    No 

report. 

4.  M.  E.  Woods,  Springfield,  July  20th.    No 

report. 

5.  Standard  Mfg.  Co.,  Elgin,  July  22nd.    No 

report. 
Thanking  you  for  your  early  attention,  we 
remain, 

Yours, 


INTERHOUSE  CORRESPONDENCE 

PART  II 
BY   HENRY  W.   BELFIELD 

There  is  a  well-known  business  phrase,  "Mislaid 
correspondence,"  which  is  often  connected  with  loss  of 
trade  and  money.    Sometimes  it  means  merely  what  it 


174  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

says ;  sometimes  it  means  that  some  clerk  has  wilfully 
destroyed  papers.  Perhaps  most  often  is  this  phrase 
used  in  correspondence  between  the  home  oflSce  and 
branch  houses,  oflSce  and  factory,  office  and  salesmen, 
for  there  is  a  certain  kind  of  clerk  who  seems  to  believe 
that  anything  which  is  "only  company  business"  can 
be  neglected  to  any  extent.  It  was  to  obviate  this 
trouble  that  the  following  system  was  devised,  and  its 
efficiency  has  been  demonstrated  by  its  marked  success 
in  several  institutions. 


raOM  CHtCAGO        o*"*"^ 

VUB4SVT1  PCFEi?  TO  NO. 

RCPLYtNQ  TO  HA 


Figure  I 

The  system,  in  a  word,  consists  of  writing  letters 
in  triplicate,  leaving  triplicate  copy  for  a  complete 
record  for  the  issuing  house,  duplicate  copy  for  the 
records  of  the  receiving  house,  and  original  copy  for 
routing  to  person  who  is  to  act  upon  it.  This  means 
that  every  employ^  of  both  offices  has  reference  to  the 
full  text  of  each  letter  written  between  them,  as  soon  as 
sent,  in  the  one  case,  and  received,  in  the  other.  There 
is  no  necessity  of  keeping  the  original  letter  accessible 
constantly,  and  the  greatest  obstacle  to  the  successful 
operation  of  the  vertical  filing  system — namely,  the 
difficulty    of  getting  letters  returned  to  file  promptly, 


HENRY   W.    BELFIELD 


175 


has  no  force  here,  for  the  time  when  the  original  letter 
reaches  final  file  is  of  very  little  importance. 

In  the  first  place,  all  unnecessary  courtesy,  suoh 
as  ^^Fred  Brown  &  Co.,"  "Gentlemen,"  "Yours  very 
What  truly,"  and  other  phrases  are  omitted  en- 

to  Cut  tirely.    In  a  business  where  hundreds  and 

^^*  sometimes  thousands  of  interhouse  letters 

are  written  daily  the  saving  of  time  is  considerable. 
Next,  an  expensive  letterhead  is  done  away  with,  and 


v& 

T^«W 

TotUiuri^o4i  - 

«•• 

•A 

r«^ 

^U^VViflAO   'U«<^ta4tl4 

11^. 

0 

qn\ 

v\uvu^  trJjtn.    H1^<^  • 

IW6- 

3 

T^m 

■|^o^au»-\<n  o'^AAv  Woa*4u» 

.S^- 

7w 

\n«J 

Ib6 

- 

Figure  II 

this  also  is  a  factor  in  reducing  expense.  The  blank 
(Figure  I)  is  made  with  simply  the  words,  "From  Chi- 
cago," '^From  Atlanta,"  or  whatever  may  be  the  name 
of  the  town  where  the  letter  is  written,  printed  in  the 
upper  left-hand  corner,  and  underneath  the  word,  "Sub- 
ject." In  the  upper  right-hand  corner  is  the  serial 
number  of  the  letter  and  the  words,  "In  reply  refer  to 
No."  and  "Replying  to  No."  It  will  thus  be  seen  that 
the  only  typewriting  necessary  in  addressing  a  letter 
consists  of  the  location  of  the  house  to  which  the  letter 


176 


BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 


is  to  be  sent,  a  short  summary  of  the  matter  contained 
in  the  letter  for  indexing  purposes,  the  number  of  the 
letter,  and  date,  with  the  initials  of  the  writer,  and  the 
number  and  date  of  the  letter  which  is  under  reply  (in 
case  there  has  been  previous  correspondence),  with  the 
initials  of  the  former  correspondent. 

The  blank  is  made  in  three  sections,  all  exactly 
alike,  with  perforations,  so  that  the  three  copies  may  be 
separated  at  need.    The  letter  is  thus  written  in  tripli- 


T^ 

>442r 

T^^Wa  «\5taAAli^ 

^ 

.^/r 

r  F|  v>a 

J5,afiaA>«i  »AA  (muuJlf 

tKt 

&■ 

'\vvvc 

C_^fla*t-'ft«l»a^A*J^ 

^V 

S 

'\^  A 

v|»?a  Aju^^ . 

^y] 

^h 

v^  tv» 

St«JC»**-ou4-  M  cuUjf^ 

'irg. 

Figure  ni 

cate  and  a  fourth  copy  usually  made  separate  from  the 
blank,  to  be  pinned  to  the  correspondence.  After  the 
letter  has  been  written  and  signed,  it  is  sent  complete 
to  the  outgoing  mail  department,  where  the  triplicate 
is  detached  and  retained  there,  and,  as  soon  as  possible, 
indexed  on  cards  (Figure  II),  either  numerically  under 
date,  or,  if  there  are  suflScient  number  of  letters,  under 
subject-matter  headings,  varying  according  to  the  na- 
ture of  the  business,  and  bound  numerically  in  book 
form  by  means  of  the  loose-leaf  device.    Each  branch 


HENRY   W.    BELFIELD  1T7 

house,  of  course,  has  a  separate  set  of  cards,  which  may 
be  distinguished  by  color  or  any  other  suitable  differ- 
entiation. 

The  original  and  duplicate  of  the  letter  are  for- 
warded at  once  to  their  destination.  Upon  arrival  there 
the  initials  of  the  former  letter  (if  any)  will  determine 
the  routing,  which  is  copied  upon  the  duplicate.  The 
original  is  then  sent  to  the  proper  person  and  the  dupli- 
cate retained,  indexed  on  cards  (Figure  III)  similar  to 
those  in  Figure  II,  thus  obviating  any  delay  to  the 


Mr.     CO'it^MA^ '^/i3 


Utto  No.      ^M  *? D»U       ^li 


Ffom       IVlXA/  t 


(Ttlt 


»,fcj.ct  T^iujLlgta  unyvlft  o\A  Sgflfig.  <^^JSA»Jdt^' 


Wm  ni«TTt6  to  yotj  o«  ^jfS'  *o^  i*^"'*  un*niwtf«d.  h  nudnft^iti  *lteiiMwi.  VUl 


yaa  >av«wig«w  «i  oi>c«? 


LL. 


Figure  IV 

original,  and  also  bound  in  book  form.  Also,  the  num- 
ber of  the  replying  letter  just  received  may  be  noted 
on  the  triplicate  copy  of  the  former  letter. 

The  chief  advantage  of  this  device  is  obviously  the 
fact  that  the  correspondence  on  any  subject  can  not  get 
Borne  of  the  ^^^*'  ^^^  should  the  original  letters  be  mis- 
Advantages  of  placed  the  duplicates  are  instantly  avail- 
the  System  ^|^^  ^^^^  contain  all  necessary  informa- 
tion that  may  be  desired  by  the  correspondent. 

A  tickler  can  be  readily  worked  by  annotating  the 
12 


178  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

duplicate  with  the  number  of  its  reply,  so  that  a  few- 
minutes^  perusal  each  morning  will  give  a  list  of  the 
unanswered  letters  of  importance.  The  routing  is  on 
the  duplicate,  so  that  a  form  (Figure  IV)  may  be  sent 
to  the  person  or  department  to  whom  the  original  was 
forwarded.  The  importance  of  keeping  correspondence 
up  is  too  well  known  to  be  commented  upon  here. 

The  method  of  filing  the  triplicate  copy  of  the  out- 
going letter  is  flexible.  A  feasible  plan  for  doing  away 
with  indexing  them  is  to  have  a  loose-leaf  binder  for 
the  letters  to  each  house  and  to  file  each  day's  letters, 
numerically,  under  classes  of  correspondence — that  is, 
have  a  division  in  the  binder  for  clerical  letters,  for 
administrative  letters,  for  financial  letters,  for  sales- 
men's letters,  etc.,  as  the  particular  business  demands. 
A  person  looking  up  correspondence  has  one  prime 
thought,  not  who  wrote  it,  nor  the  serial  number,  but 
what  is  the  subject-matter.  The  current  binder  would 
hold  two  weeks'  or  two  months'  correspondence,  de- 
pending on  the  volume  of  business,  and  if  one  could 
approximate  at  all  closely  the  date  of  the  letter  in 
which  he  was  interested,  its  location  would  be  easy. 

The  blank  is,  of  course,  expensive,  but,  counted 
against  the  cost  of  the  letterhead  and  extra  typewrit- 
ing, in  the  end  often  costs  less  than  the  usual  system. 
The  value  of  the  results  may  be  reckoned  in  thousands 
of  dollars. 


KENDALL    BANNING  179 


INTER-DEPARTMENT   COMMUNICATiaN 

PART  III 

BY   KENDALL   BANNING 

Among  many  large  business  houses  which  handle 
several  hundred  or  several  thousand  letters  daily,  the 
problem  of  assigning  communications  to  the  proper 
departments  or  individuals  is  a  task  which  each  house 
has  to  solve  on  the  basis  of  its  own  particular  needs. 

One  of  the  simplest  yet  most  effective  of  the  sys- 
tems for  controlling  such  correspondence,  is  now  in 
use  by  the  Metropolitan  Life  Insurance  Company,  of 
New  York,  whose  scheme,  either  in  its  present  form  op 
with  modifications,  may  be  used  to  advantage  by  prac- 
tically all  business  houses  whose  employes  number 
fifty  or  more. 

On  the  desks  of  each  of  the  heads  of  departments  in 
the  executive  offices,  of  each  of  the  superintendents  of 
agencies,  and  of  each  of  the  heads  of  the 
Cabinet  audit  divisions,  one  of  which  is  connected 

with  each  of  these  agencies,  is  a  small 
cabinet  divided  into  three  sections,  each  section  con- 
taining ten  pockets,  arranged  in  ascending  tiers  as 
shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration.  Each  pocket 
contains  a  number  of  sheets  of  paper  at  the  top  of 
which  are  printed  the  names  of  the  executive  and  de- 
partmental heads,  together  with  their  titles.  One  sec- 
tion is  devoted  to  sheets  bearing  the  names  of  the  heads 
of  the  departments  in  the  executive  offices ;  one  tier  to 
the  ten  superintendents  of  agencies,  and  one  tier  to  the 
ten  heads  of  the  audit  divisions. 

All  correspondence  from  outside  sources,  which  is 


ISO 


BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 


intended  for  the  notice  of  more  than  one  department, 
and  all  communications  from  one  department  to  an- 
other, such  as  directions  for  the  disposition  of  requests, 
complaints,  orders,  or  requisitions,  are  noted  on  the 
forms  bearing  the  names  of  the  oflScials  to  whom  the 


Correspondence  tray 

attached  communications  are  to  be  forwarded.  These 
communications  are  then  placed  in  a  basket  intended 
for  out-going  communications.  These  baskets  are 
emptied  at  regular  intervals  during  the  day  by  messen- 
gers who  take  the  contents  of  these  baskets  to  a  cen- 


KENDALL   BANNING  181 

tral  point  from  which!  they  are  distributed  to  the 
addresses. 

On  the  desk  of  each  superintendent  of  agencies  is 
a  similar  file  containing  forms  bearing  the  names  of 
the  agents  in  his  particular  department.  In  the  same 
way  each  head  of  the  audit  divisions  operates  this  file 
in  his  own  department.  From  the  President  of  the 
company  down  to  the  head  of  the  smallest  department, 
similar  provision  is  made  for  the  reference  of  communi- 
cations to  every  employ^  in  the  company  to  whom  busi- 
ness correspondence  or  orders  are  sent. 

This  system  is  just  as  applicable  to  manufacturing 
houses,  retail  houses,  banking  houses,  publishing  houses, 
and  railroad  companies,  as  to  insurance  companies. 
One  tier  of  pockets  in  every  case  would  be  devoted  to 
the  main  executives  of  the  company;  the  remaining 
tiers  may  be  devoted  to  factory  foremen  or  heads  of 
store  or  banking  departments  just  as  aptly  as  to  super- 
intendents of  agencies. 

This  system  is  of  particular  value  in  that  it  states 
explicitly  the  name  of  the  person  or  persons  to  whom 
the  communication  is  to  be  sent,  together  with  full 
directions  for  the  disposition  of  the  attached  matter 
without  marking  or  defacing  the  communications  to 
which  the  slips  are  attached — a  valuable  feature  to  the 
filing  department  whose  aim  it  is  to  keep  all  filed  com- 
munications as  clean  as  possible. 

The  system  may  be  further  modified  by  a  larger  or 
smaller  number  of  pockets  in  each  tier,  and  by  a  larger 
or  smaller  number  of  tiers  to  suit  the  conditions  which 
th«  iystem  has  to  meet. 


PART  III 

SYSTEM  IN  HANDLING  COR 
RESPONDENCE 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  USE  AND  OPERATION  OF  THE  FOLLOW-UP 

BY  C.  C.  PARSONS 
Of  the  Shaw-Walker  Company 

The  term  follow-up  system  designates  a  system  de- 
voted to  following  up  correspondence  and  increasing 
business  either  with  those  who  are  already  customers 
OP  with  prospective  customers.  But  the  same  terms 
and  the  same  principles  which  apply  to  the  following 
up  of  correspondence  may  also  similarly  be  applied 
to  collections,  the  delivery  of  orders,  or  receipts  of 
goods  which  have  been  purchased. 

The  follow-up  system  must  accomplish  two  things, 
and  these  in  the  shortest  manner  possible : 
The  Purpose  First,  everything  which  must  be  at- 

ofthe  tended    to   on    a    certain    day    must   be 

FoUow-np  brought  to  the  attention  on  that  day  and 

at  no  other  time,  and  there  must  be  no  possibility  of 
any  hint  or  inquiry  which  may  be  developed  into  an 
order  being  lost. 

Second,  it  must  be  possible  to  locate  all  the  in- 
formation immediately  whenever  it  is  necessary. 

For  example,  the  day  I  receive  an  inquiry  from  a 
prospective  customer,  John  Jones,  in  regard  to  goods, 
perhaps  I  send  a  catalogue  and  call  his  attention  to 
some  particular  items  of  interest.  In  case  no  reply  is 
received  within  ten  days,  I  wish  to  write  again  and 
follow  up  my  first  letter.  At  the  end  of  ten  days,  this 
inquiry — together  with  others  which  must  be  attended 
to  on  that  particular  date — must  be  brought  to  my 

185 


186  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

attention  and  no  others.  It  should  never  be  necessary 
to  go  through  all  the  correspondence  or  all  the  files  to 
find  a  particular  letter;  but  in  case  John  Jones  writes 
me  before  the  ten  days  have  expired,  it  must  be  possible 
to  instantly  locate  all  his  correspondence. 

The  old  idea  used  to  be  to  make  out  two  cards  at 
the  time  an  inquiry  was  received.  One  of  these  was  filed 
The  Old  under  the  day  and  month  when  the  next 

FoUow-Up-  letter  should  be  written  in  case  a  reply 
ow Operated  ^^^  ^^^  received;  the  other  was  filed 
alphabetically  by  the  name  of  the  person,  and  on  it 
was  entered  the  date  to  which  the  other  card  was  filed. 
The  correspondence  itself  was  filed  alphabetically.  In 
case  a  reply  was  received  before  the  anticipated  date, 
it  was  necessary  to  refer  to  the  alphabetical  file  to  find 
the  date,  to  remove  the  card  from  the  daily  file  and  to 
locate  the  correspondence  alphabetically.  In  case  no 
reply  was  received,  all  the  cards  for  one  date,  in  the 
daily  file,  as  for  instance  the  10th,  were  taken  out,  the 
corresponding  alphabetical  cards  were  located  and  the 
correspondence  taken  from  the  correspondence  file. 

Modern  follow-up  systems  have  eliminated  part  of 
this  work.  One  card  is  easily  made  to  do  the  work  of 
these  two. 

The  manner  in  which  a  follow-up  system  for  any 
business  should  be  devised  depends  primarily  upon 
Devising  whether  the  correspondence  is  necessary  in 

a  Suitable  following    up    the    inquiry.      In    certain 

SyBtem  classes  of  business  where  a  single  article 

is  being  sold,  as  a  penholder,  book,  or  inkwell,  there 
is  no  particular  necessity  to  refer  to  the  previous  cor- 
respondence, as  every  inquiry  must  contain  but  one 
thing.  In  another  class  of  business  where  several  lines 
are  handled  and  several  articles  or  a  high-priced  arti- 


C.    C.    PARSONS 


187, 


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188  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

cle  involving  peculiar  conditions  for  each  buyer  are 
being  sold,  it  will  be  necessary  to  refer  to  the  previous 
correspondence  in  order  to  intelligently  answer  any 
letter  which  may  be  received,  or  to  intelligently  follow 
up  the  inquiry. 

In  case  reference  to  the  correspondence  is  neces- 
sary, the  correspondence  itself  can  be  made  to  take 
place  of  the  card  which  was  formerly  filed  by  months 
and  days. 

When  an  inquiry  is  received  a  card  is  made  out 
containing  the  name  and  address  of  the  inquirer  and 
any  other  information  which  may  be  necessary;  on 
this  card  is  also  noted  the  date  on  which  a  letter  has 
been  written  and  the  date  to  which  the  correspondence 
is  to  be  filed,  so  that  the  matter  may  again  be  brought 
up  in  case  no  reply  is  received. 

If  it  is  not  necessary  to  refer  to  the  correspondence 
— if  general  form  letters  are  used  in  the  follow-up  work 
— a  quicker  method  than  using  the  correspondence  to 
assist  in  the  follow-up  is  to  continue  the  follow-up  with 
the  alphabetical  card.  Each  card  contains  the  name 
of  one  customer  or  prospective  customer,  the  address 
and  all  necessary  information — as  to  the  catalogues, 
form  letters,  and  so  on,  that  have  been  sent  out ;  on  it 
is  also  noted  the  date  on  which  it  is  desired  to  follow 
up  in  case  no  reply  is  received. 

The  simplest  way  to  distinguish  between  customers 
and  prospective  customers  is  to  use  different  colored 
cards.  The  only  objection  to  this  method  is  that,  when 
prospectives  become  customers,  it  is  necessary  to  re- 
write the  information.  A  better  scheme  is  to  make  up 
the  prospective  customer's  card  with  a  small  tab  on 
th€  upper  right-hand  corner  marked  "P."  When  this 
prospect  becomes  a  customer,  the  tab  can  be  cut  off 


C.   C.    PARSONS 


189 


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190  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

This  makes  it  possible  to  file  customers  and  prospective 
customers  in  the  same  drawer — often  a  desirable  thing 
in  case  the  whole  list  is  circularized  periodically. 

In  order  to  distinguish  between  the  different 
classes  of  business,  cards  should  be  made  with  tabs  in 
different  positions,  each  position  designating  some  par- 
ticular business.  A  tab  in  the  first  position,  for  in- 
stance, may  be  used  to  represent  wholesale  druggists; 
a  tab  in  the  second  position,  physicians;  in  the  third 
position,  department  stores.  This  becomes  a  service 
in  case  it  is  desired  to  send  special  advertising  to  par- 
ticular classes.  If,  for  instance,  I  have  a  large  mixed 
list,  but  wish  to  circularize  department  stores  with 
some  special  literature,  it  is  only  necessary  to  instruct 
the  addresser  to  send  such  circulars  to  those  cards  only 
which  have  number  three  tab. 

These  tabs  on  the  cards  do  not  interfere  with  the 
metal  tabs  which  are  used  in  the  follow-up,  because 
on  any  card  the  permanent  tab  takes  up  only  one-tenth 
of  the  space  across  the  top.  If,  for  instance,  it  has 
become  necessary  to  follow  up  a  card  with  the  tab  in 
the  first  position,  on  the  first  date  the  tab  would  come 
directly  over  the  one.  In  such  case  as  this  the  metal 
tab  is  to  be  put  over  the  next  number,  as  in  any  follow- 
up  system  one  or  two  days  does  not  usually  matter.  In 
case  it  does,  however,  it  is  possible  to  escape  even  this 
slight  objection;  the  permanent  tabs  may  occupy  only 
the  left  hand  of  the  tops  of  the  cards  and  the  figures 
for  the  dates  can  be  printed  on  the  right,  so  that  there 
will  be  no  conflict  between  the  permanent  and  adjust- 
able tabs. 

The  correspondence  constitutes  the  follow-up;  it 
is  placed  in  a  file  arranged  with  monthly  and  daily 


C.  C.  PARSONS 


191 


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192  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

guides  on  the  date  to  which  attention  is  to  be  brought 
to  the  particular  matter. 

This  system  is  particularly  adapted  to  special  fol- 
low-ups in  any  department  of  the  business,  as  in  buying 
or  collections,  and  will  apply  to  cases  where  personal 
letters  are  written  to  follow  up  instead  of  the  ordinary 
form  letters.  It  is  appropriate  for  a  large  system  as 
well  as  a  small  one,  for,  if  under  any  one  date  there  is 
a  large  number  of  letters,  in  order  to  insure  quicker  ref- 
erences these  can  be  filed  alphabetically  under  that 
date. 

In  case  a  reply  to  a  lettter  is  received  before  the 
anticipated  date,  reference  is  made,  first,  to  the  card 
in  the  alphabetical  file,  and  from  the  information  on 
this  correspondence  is  easily  located  in  the  corre- 
spondence file  of  any  particular  date.  The  month 
and  date  file  will  then  contain  only  the  correspond- 
ence of  those  people  who  have  not  written.  Each 
letter  to  come  up  that  day  will  be  taken  out,  the  alpha- 
betical cards  will  be  attached  to  the  correspondence — 
to  afford  full  information  on  the  previous  history  of 
this  case — and  the  whole  given  to  the  i)€rson  who  is 
handling  this  special  correspondence. 

Along  the  top  of  the  card  are  printed  the  days  of 
the  month  from  one  to  thirty-one ;  and  over  the  number 
corresponding  to  the  date  on  which  the  card  is  to  be 
brought  up  for  attention,  a  metal  clip  is  placed.  The 
metal  clips  for  the  cards  which  are  to  be  followed  on 
any  date  will  come  in  a  direct  line  and  consequently  all 
the  cards  for  one  date  can  be  easily  located  and  taken 
from  the  file. 

In  case  a  reply  is  received  before  the  expected  date, 
the  card  is  readily  located  because  it  is  filed  alphabet- 
ally  j  the  matter  can  be  attended  to  and  the  metal  clip 


C.    C.    PAKSONS  193 

can  be  moved  forward  to  the  next  date  on  which  the 
card  is  to  be  followed  up. 

It  is  possible  to  adapt  either  of  these  two  systems 
to  the  most  complex  conditions  *which  may  arise  in  any 
office. 

It  may  be  desired,  for  instance,  to  classify  the  dif- 
ferent inquiries  or  customers  according  to  the  nature 
of  the  business,  or  to  the  nature  of  their  interest ;  or  to 
distinguish  between  actual  and  prospective  customers. 

The  possible  ramifications,  modifications  and  ex- 
tensions of  the  follow-up  in  its  application  to  varying 
specific  conditions  are  infinite,  the  system  as  here  given 
being  adaptable  to  perhaps  any  conditions  which  can 
arise. 

13 


CHAPTER  XVI 

A  FOLLOW-UP  SYSTEM  FOR  THE 
MANUFACTURER 

BY  C.   C.   PARSONS 
Of  the  Shaw-Walker  Company 

The  system  herewith  described  is  in  use  in  a  large 
manufacturing  house  and  is  particularly  interesting 
and  valuable  because  it  includes  almost  all  points 
which  a  follow-up  system  may  cover. 

A  follow-up  system  is  first  of  all  an  index  to  a 
list  of  names;  in  this  system  the  names  are  indexed 
geographically  according  to  the  state  and  the  town  in 
which  the  prospect  lives.  A  follow-up's  next  function 
is  to  automatically  bring  up  for  attention  the  names 
in  the  list  on  certain  dates;  this  is  accomplished  in 
this  system  by  means  of  tabs  placed  on  the  card.  A 
mailing  list  usually  includes  both  prospective  custom- 
ers and  old  customers ;  they  are  filed  altogether  in  this 
system,  the  prospects  being  distinguished  from  the 
customers  by  having  a  tab  at  one  end  of  the  card. 
And  lastly,  a  follow-up  list  may  be  classified  accord- 
ing to  the  kind  of  goods  or  kinds  of  business ;  the  sys- 
tem accomplishes  this  by  having  the  cards  classified 
according  to  the  goods  Inquired  for,  by  means  of  tabs. 

Inquiries  are  received  either  in  reply  to  adver- 
tisements or  circular  letters  sent  out,  from  dealers, 
or  from  salesmen.  In  every  case  such  an  inquiry  has 
particular  reference  to  some  one  article  on  the  manu- 
facturer's list.     As  each   is  received,   the  inquiry  i& 

194 


C.   C.    PARSONS 


195 


entered  upon  a  card  such  as  shown  in  the  illustration ; 
(Form  I)  the  name  and  address  is  entered,  its  source 
and  the  name  of  the  local  dealer,  if  the  house  has  one 
in  that  town. 

Cards  are  provided  with  five  kinds  of  tabs  corre- 
sponding with  the  five  lines  that  the  house  manu- 
factures. A  card  is  selected  bearing  that  tab  which 
corresponds  with  the  article  inquired  for  by  the  pros- 
pect. 


Form  I 


These  cards  are  then  placed  in  a  file,  which  is  in- 
dexed geographically,  first  by  states  and  under  the 
states  by  towns;  the  towns  under  each  state  are 
arranged  alphabetically  and  are  divided  by  guide  cards. 
The  cards  under  each  town  are  arranged  alphabeti- 
cally, according  to  the  name  of  the  prospect;  if  the 
number  of  names  in  any  one  town  warrants  it  guide 
cards  may  be  provided. 

The  state  and  town  cards  should  be  of  different 


196  BUSINESS    CORRKSPONDENCE 

colors  in  order  to  avoid  any  confusion  in  the  name. 
It  is  also  advisable  to  have  the  letters  on  the  guide 
cards  dividing  the  namen  printed  smaller  to  distin- 
guish them  from  the  guide  cards  dividing  the  towns. 

A  geographical  arrangement  is  most  convenient 
for  a  very  large  list  because  it  divides  and  classifies 
the  names  more  conveniently.  It  is  espe- 
toSgement  ^^^^^^  adapted  to  manufacturers'  or 
wholesalers'  lists,  because  as  a  rule  these 
wish  to  keep  track  of  their  business  by  localities.  A 
manufacturer  may  sell  the  local  dealers;  he  then 
wants  to  have  all  the  prospects  and  customers  in  a 
certain  locality  together.  It  also  enables  the  house  to 
give  the  salesman  the  names  of  all  prospects  in  his 
territory,  or  check  up  the  amount  of  sales  which  his 
efforts  are  bringing  in. 

If  a  list  is  pureily  local,  or  if  these  geographical 
considerations  bring  no  advantage,  the  index  may  be 
arranged  alphabetically. 

A  series  of  form  letters  is  provided  for  each  class 
of  inquiries — that  is,  for  each  line  of  goods  sold — so 
that  when  once  a  man  inquires  regarding 
FoUow-Uds  ^°y  particular  article,  he  can  be  followed 
up  specifically  on  that  article  by  means 
of  the  forms.  Each  follow-up  letter  is  given  a  guide 
number  or  sign,  which  distinguished  it  from  every 
other.  Suppose,  for  instance,  there  are  five  follow-up 
letters  on  a  "gas  engine"  inquiry;  they  can  be  marked 
"G.  E.  A.,"  ^'G.  E.  B.,"  "G.  E.  C,"  "G.  E.  D.,"  "G.  E. 
E."  This  mark  is  placed  in  the  lower  left  hand  cor- 
ner of  the  letter,  where  usually  the  correspondent's 
initials  are  written. 

The  inquirer's  name  once  on  the  card,  clerks  can 
take  care  of  the  rest  of  the  follow-up.    The  first  letter 


O.    C.    PARSONS  197 

in  the  series  is  sent  out  immediately  on  receipt  of  the 
inquiry.  A  record  to  that  effect  is  made  on  the  card  by 
writing  the  initials  which  identify  the  letter  in  the 
blank  provided,  opposite  the  words  "Form  letter  sent." 

These  inquiries  are  usually  followed  up  every  ten 
days;  therefore,  supposing  the  first  letter  was  sent  out 
on  the  first  day  of  the  month,  a  tab  would  be  placed 
over  the  "10"  figure  on  the  card.  On  the  tenth  day  of 
the  month  the  follow-up  clerk  takes  out  all  the  cards 
bearing  tabs  on  this  date.  Inasmuch  as  the  cards  are 
all  printed  alike  those  bearing  "10'^  tabs  will  all  be 
in  a  straight  line  and  can  therefore,  be  very  quickly 
picked  out. 

Glancing  at  the  entry  on  each  card  opposite 
"Form  letters  sent,"  the  clerk  will  find  what  letter 
was  sent  last;  inasmuch  as  the  letters  are  laid  out  in 
a  regular  series,  and  are  numbered,  the  clerk  will 
know  which  letter  is  to  go  out  next.  Record  of  the 
mailing  of  this  letters  will  again  be  made  on  the  card 
and  the  tab  will  be  moved  ahead  another  ten  days  to 
the  20th  and  the  card  placed  in  its  regular  geographi- 
cal position. 

But  if  in  the  meantime  this  prospect  has  answered 
the  first  letter,  his  card  is  picked  out  of  the  file — very 
^jjg  easily  done  since  it  is  filed  geographically 

Special  — and  attached  to  the  letter.    If  this  let- 

Letter  ^gj,  contains   further  inquiry,   it  is  usu- 

ally sent  to  a  special  correspondent  who  will  dictate 
a  special  letter.  A  record  of  this  will  be  made  in  the 
blanks  opposite  "special  letters  sent,"  and  the  card 
will  be  led  ahead  the  proper  number  of  days.  If  no 
further  letter  or  order  has  been  received,  by  the  time 
it  comes  up  again,  the  clerk  again  sends  the  card  to 
the  special  correspondent;  he  may  send  another  special 


198  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

letter  or  he  may  direct  that  the  regular  series  of  form 
letters  be  continued. 

When  an  order  is  received,  the  name  is  looked  up 
in  the  file.  If  it  is  there,  the  date,  amount  of  order 
and  the  article  ordered  are  entered  in  the  blanks  pro- 
vided, and  the  tab  which  indicates  that  this  was  a 
prospect  is  cut  off  to  indicate  that  this  man  is  now 
a  customer.  He  is  usually  followed  up  at  such  regu- 
lar intervals  thereafter  as  the  system  may  provide. 

Customers  are  distinguished  from  prospects  be- 
cause different  literature  is  usually  sent  out  to  the 
two  classes.  The  tabs  on  the  cards 
Custom^  greatly  simplify  and  facilitate  this  work, 
for  when  a  clerk  is  taking  off  the  names 
for  mailing,  he  need  not  reach  each  card  to  ascertain 
whether  an  order  has  ever  been  received;  the  presence 
or  absence  of  the  prospect  tab  will  tell  him.  Three 
reasons  favor  putting  prospects  and  customers  to- 
gether in  one  file  rather  than  in  two.  All  the  names 
are  in  one  place;  they  can  be  circularized  at  one  time. 
Secondly,  all  data  necessary  to  judge  of  the  trade  in 
a  given  locality  is  in  one  place;  if  information  is  to 
be  given  to  a  dealer  or  salesman,  it  is  not  necessary 
to  go  to  two  places.  Finally  when  an  inquiry  or  order 
is  received  search  for  the  proper  card  need  be  made 
only  in  the  one  file. 

It  is  a  question,  however,  whether  it  is  not  better 
to  place  customers'  cards  in  another  file  when  litera- 
ture different  from  that  sent  to  prospects  is  provided 
for  them;  for  the  five  "article"  tabs  complicate  the 
situation. 

General  literature  is  sent  out  to  all  prospects 
periodically,  a  special  kind  for  each  class  of  goods — 
that  is,  "pump"  inquiries  receive  one  booklet  or  cat- 


C.    C.    PARSONS  199 

alogue,  "gas  engine"  another,  and  so  on;  in  this  work 
the  class  tabs  are  a  great  time  saver. 

The  value  of  classifying  the  lists  according  to  the 
kind  of  goods  inquired  about  is  plainly  proved.  A 
general  form  letter  sent  in  response  to  all  the  inquiries 
could  not  be  written  to  sound  like  a  personal  reply; 
it  must  touch  on  all  articles  instead  of  on  merely  the 
one.  But  if  follow-up  letters  are  gotten  up  for  each 
article  sold,  the  prospect  can  not  distinguish  them 
from  personal  letters,  for  they  will  follow  right  along 
the  line  of  his  inquiry.  The  tabs  pay  their  cost  in 
the  saving  of  labor  alone,  which  comes  from  the  fact 
that  the  article  inquired  for  need  not  be  written  on 
the  card  by  the  clerk;  it  is  on  the  tab. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A  SUBJECT  INDEX  FOR  FILING 
CORRESPONDENCE 

BY  E.  T.  PAGE 

President  and  Secretary,  The  Page-Davis  Company 

Certain  broad  principles  regarding  the  filing  of 
correspondence  are  coming  to  be  generally  recognized : 
that  all  the  correspondence  from  one  individual  or 
firm  should  be  filed  in  the  same  place,  the  last  letter 
on  top,  with  copies  of  the  answers  sent;  that  numeri- 
cal filing,  with  an  alphabetical  index  of  the  names  of 
correspondents,  is  easier  to  handle  and  easier  to  locate, 
than  correspondence  filed  alphabetically  to  begin  with ; 
that  only  one  set  of  transfer  files,  so  arranged  as  to  be 
indefinitely  expansible,  should  be  provided;  that  some 
cross  references  from  one  set  of  correspondence  to 
another,  or  from  a  name  to  a  set  of  correspondence,  is 
advisable. 

Very  few  systems  for  filing  correspondence  go 
beyond  this.  And  yet  this  is  only  the  beginning.  Sup- 
pose, for  instance,  a  jobber  wishes  to  know  the  trade 
conditions  in  a  certain  town.  He  knows  that  letters 
he  has  recently  received  from  merchants  in  this  town 
will  give  him  such  information.  But  how,  except  by 
the  accident  of  some  one's  memory,  is  he  going  to 
know  where  to  go  for  this  information?  He  receives 
a  letter  from  a  merchant  in  a  middle  sized  city,  ask- 
ing for  quotations,  and  saying  that  he  knows  the  quo- 
tations that  his  competitor  is  getting,  and  must  have 

200 


E.   T.   PAGE  201 

at  least  as  good  or  better.  How  is  the  manufacturer 
going  to  find  the  quotations  which  this  competitor  got? 
Again,  suppose  the  manufacturer  thinks  that,  judging 
by  his  correspondence  for  the  past  few  months,  he 
ought  to  send  out  a  circular  to  every  person  who  has 
asked  concerning  a  certain  kind  of  goods  during  the 
past  four  months.  How  is  he  going  to  find  these 
names. 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  instances,  which  might 
be  expanded  into  a  book,  when  the  mere  knowing  of 
The  Vital  where  a  certain  individual's  correspond- 

Part-  ence  is,  is  not  enough — ^that  individual's 

The  Subject  name  not  being  known.  An  index  system 
must  go  farther  than  this.  The  correspondence  is  the 
pulse  of  every  business.  Its  subject  matter  is  the 
motive  for  almost  every  move  that  is  made  in  that 
business.  Its  contents  are  the  goad,  the  stimulus,  even 
the  directing  force,  which  lead  the  business  man  in 
his  advance.  And  then  to  think,  that  this  very  sub- 
ject matter,  these  contents,  each  and  all  are  but  a 
jumbled  mass  of  material,  once  it  has  left  the  filing 
clerk's  hand. 

All  correspondence  should  be  indexed  by  subjects. 
Wishing  to  know  the  trade  conditions  in  a  town,  the 
What  Can  Be  jobber  should  be  able  to  turn  to  an  alpha- 
Found  in  a  betical  subject  index  at  once,  and  looking 
Subject  Index       ^^^^^   ^^^   ^^^^^   ^^  ^^^   ^^^^^   ^nd    then 

under  the  words  "trade  conditions,"  get  the  exact  let- 
ter or  letters  which  he  wants.  Wishing  to  know  the 
quotations  he  has  made  to  a  merchant  in  a  certain  city, 
he  can  turn  to  the  city  at  once,  and  find  what  merchant 
there  is  his  customer.  If  he  wishes  to  send  out  a  cir- 
cular to  all  persons  who  have  inquired  about  a  certain 
class  of  goods,  he  should  turn  to  this  word  in  his 


202 


BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 


index  and  find  there  the  correspondents  who  have  so 
inquired. 

This  indexing  of  every  letter  by  every  subject  men- 
tioned in  it,  may  seem  an  almost  impossible  task.  Us- 
ing the  proper  system  of  indexing  it  is  very  simple. 
The  system  here  described  handles  hundreds  of  letters 
daily,  and  yet  the  work  is  done  by  one  clerk. 

All  the  indexing,  whether  of  the  name  and  town  of 
the  correspondent,  or  of  the  subject  concerning  which 
he  writes,  is  done  in  one  book.  This  book  is  a  bound 
volume,  with  alphabetical  pads  running  down  the  out- 


TOWN. 


STATE 


BUSINESS 


Form  I 

side  margin,  but  is  so  made  that,  when  it  begins  to 
fill  up,  it  can  be  taken  out  of  the  binding,  new  leaves 
inserted  where  needed,  and  then  rebound.  It  is  really 
a  loose-leaf  volume,  but  the  bound  form  is,  of  course, 
much  easier  to  handle  than  loose  sheets. 

One  or  more  sheets  in  this  book  are  Pfisigned  to 
each  letter  of  the  alphabet.  On  each  sheet  (Form  I) 
are  certain  blanks,  for  names,  towns,  states,  etc. — that 
is,  facts  concerning  the  correspondents  themselves, 
which  will  be  classed  under  every  letter  of  the  alphabet. 
On  the  back  of  this  sheet  (Form  II)  those  particular 
subjects  in  the  correspondence  itself  which  begin  with 
this  letter  of  the  alphabet  are  indexed.    In  each  busi- 


E.    T.    PAGE 


203 


ness  there  are  usually  a  limited  number  of  subjects 
concerning  which  all  correspondents  write.  Only  those 
subjects  applying  to  the  business  in  question  will, 
naturally,  be  indexed  on  these  sheets. 

Suppose,  now,  that  a  letter  comes  in  from  John 
Anderson,  Bloomington,  in  which  he  inquires  concern- 
Numberiiiff  ^^^  prices,  guarantees  which  are  given 
the  with  goods,  and  a  request  for  samples. 

Communication    ^j^^^  ^j^^  j^^^^j,  ^^^^^  ^^  ^^^  gjj^^  ^j^^.^ 

to  be  filed,  if  this  is  the  first  letter  from  this  man,  he 
will  first  be  given  a  number,  say  105.  This  will  not 
only  be  the  number  under  which  his  correspondence 


RATE 

RCBATC8 

RETURNS 

ROAD  WAGONS 

RAilQAftT&t 

^-\ 

^^ 

'^^^-s,^ 

Form  n 


will  be  filed,  all  together  and  alphabetically,  but  it 
will  also  be  his  ledger  number,  should  he  ever  open 
an  account. 

The  clerk  first  turns  to  the  A  sheet  in  the  index 
book,  and  enters  in  the  name  column  the  name  John 
Anderson,  placing  after  it  the  number  105,  which  in- 
dicates that  this  is  the  file  number  of  the  correspond- 
ent. In  subsequent  letters  from  this  person,  the  name 
and  address  need,  of  course,  not  be  entered  again, 
since  all  correspondence  goes  in  the  same  folder,  105. 
The  clerk  then  turns  to  the  B  sheet  and  enters  the 
name  Bloomington  in  the  name  file,  placing  the  file 


204  BUSINESS    COREESPONDENCE 

number  after  it;  then  turns  to  the  I  sheet  and  enters 
Illinois  in  the  state  column  with  the  same  number. 
If  the  man^s  occupation,  or  any  detail  regarding  him, 
is  to  be  filed,  this  process  is  continued. 

Then  the  clerk  turns  to  the  P  page,  and  on  the 
back  of  the  sheet,  in  the  column.  Prices,  simply  enters 
the  number,  105;  he  turns  to  the  G  sheet  and  the  S 
sheet  and  makes  similar  entries.  Of  course,  this  whole 
process  takes  less  time  than  to  tell  it. 

Now  suppose  that  the  head  of  the  concern  wishes 
to  know  what  rates  he  quoted  to  some  man  in  Bloom- 
Finding  ington.     Looking  under  the  B  sheet  he 

Specific  will  find  in  the  town  column  Blooming- 

information  ^^jj  entered — perhaps  several  times  with 
a  number  after  each  entry.  He  then  turns  to  the  R 
sheet  and  finds  on  the  back  the  numbers  of  those  per- 
sons to  whom  he  has  quoted  rates.  If  any  number  in 
the  Bloomington  column  agrees  with  a  number  in  the 
R  column,  he  knows  that  here  is  someone  in  Blooming- 
ton  to  whom  he  has  quoted  rates.  The  correspondence 
with  this  person  can  at  once  be  taken  down  and  ex- 
amined. 

If  he  wishes  to  send  circulars  to  all  those  who 
bave  requested  samples  in  the  last  six  months^  he 
need  only  give  this  order  to  a  clerk,  who  will  look 
under  the  Sample  column  on  the  S  sheet  and  find  there 
eertain  numbers,  which  by  looking  up  in  the  corre- 
spondent file  he  can  find  who  has  made  such  inquiries. 

Such  indexing  of  course  takes  some  time.  But 
it  is  a  saving  from  the  increased  facility  in  circulariz- 
ing alone,  without  considering  the  convenience  to  a 
business  man  of  being  able  to  know  what  someone  has 
written  about  at  some  time  or  other,  when  he  has  for- 
gotten the  person  entirely. 


E.    T.    PAGE  205 

The  same  method  can  be  followed  in  indexing  let- 
ters sent  out.  To  distinguish  these  entries  from  the 
subjects  of  letters  received,  it  is  only  necessary  to  make 
them  in  a  different  colored  pencil,  and  it  can  be  deter- 
mined at  a  glance  whether  a  certain  man  wrote  in 
about  rates  or  was  written  to  about  rates. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

PILING  AND  FOLLOWING  DP 
CORRESPONDENCE 

BY  P.   A.    WETZEL 

There  is  a  pressing  need  for  a  system  which  com- 
bines; (1)  Following  up  correspondence  without  re- 
quiring the  work  of  a  clerk  to  keep  a  "Follow-up"  rec- 
ord and,  (2)  Filing  it  in  a  way  that  will  facilitate 
ready  reference  to  a  standard  correspondent's  letters 
concentrated  in  one  place  for  a  certain  period  of  time, 
without  the  loss  of  time  or  inconvenience  involved  in 
writing  or  referring  to  an  index  or  handling  another 
correspondent's  matter.  In  outlining  this  system,  we 
will  embody  all  the  features  which,  seem  go  to  make 
up  the  fundamental  principles  of  a  good  correspond- 
ence filing  system,  keeping  in  mind,  however,  that  sys- 
tems should  be  invented  or  modified  to  fit  the  specific 
requirements  of  the  user. 

Divide  your  vertical  files  for  a  state  or  alphabeti- 
cal division  dependent  upon  the  nature  and  scope  of 
your  business  and  if  the  state  classification  is  adopted, 
allot  space  according  to  the  importance  of  the  various 
states,  reserving  one  or  more  files  for  your  "Follow-up" 
department.  Place  alphabets,  properly  sub-divided, 
behind  each  state  guide,  or  have  the  names  of  towns 
written  on  guides,  lettering  the  towns  rank  in  their 
alphabetical  order  (you  are  in  a  better  position  to 
know  which  of  these  principles  is  the  most  adapted 
to  joxi^  business). 

206 


p.    A.    WETZEL 


207 


As  a  general  principle  for  concerns  conducting  a 
business  not  local,  especially  for  manufacturers  or 
Best  Scheme  wholesale  houses,  the  town  arrangement 
of  is  to  be  recommended,  because  it  is  the 

Classification  jj^ost  far-reaching  classification  and  con- 
centrates all  correspondence  from  a  town  in  one  place, 
which  is  an  important  advantage  for  general  reference 


6 

0 

RECEIVED 

SEPT    22  1904 

r  o.  ■ — 

K.«.fc_. 

O.C.  M 

t.  J.  ••«.                 -           -     -  - . 

A.  C.8 

i<'onn  i 

and  for  writing  to  traveling  representatives  concern- 
ing complete  trade  conditions  at  any  point.  It  will 
also  allow  salesmen  to  get  a  general  insight  into  mat- 
ters customers  have  written  about  in  their  respective 
territories  during  the  salesman's  absence  from  head- 
quarters. 

Put  a  set  of  date  guides  and  a  set  of  month  guides 


208 


BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 


in  the  files  allotted  to  the  "Follow-up"  department. 
The  date  guides  will  represent  the  current  month. 

A  stamp,  Form  I,  should  be  used  by  the  person 
having  the  responsibility  of  opening  and  distributing 
the  mail,  on  every  letter  to  designate  the  date  and 
time  was  received  and  the  initials  of  the  correspond- 
ents who  are  to  give  it  attention. 

Take  carbon  copies  of  all  letters  and  when  corre- 
spondence is  to  be  followed-up,  make  two  carbon  copies 
on  different  colored  paper.     Note  the  date,  you  wish 


MILWAUKCC,  WIS. 


MISCCtLANCOUS 


MISCCLLANEOUS 


MILWAUKCC.  WIS. 


4.  M   STONC 


MILWAUKCC.  WIS. 


JANUARY.  1904 


H.  M.  STONC 


Form  V  (bottom  folder  In  file) 

Form  II  (second  folder  in  file) 

Form  IV  (third  folder  in  file) 

Form  m  (last  folder  in  file) 

to  write  the  next  letter  on  one  carbon  copy  so  that 
the  filing  clerk  can  file  it  before  the  proper  date  in 
the  "Follow-up"  department  of  the  files. 

The  filing  clerk  should  paste  the  regular  carbon 
copies  to  the  original  letters — this  abolishes  the  pin 
and  fastener  nuisance  and  if  it  is  desirable  to  file  corre- 
spondence by  subjects,  all  letters  and  carbon  copies 
pertaining  to  a  subject  should  be  pasted  together. 

The   class   of   correspondence   coming   from  cus- 


p.   A.    WETZEL 


209 


tomers  or  correspondents  who  write  frequently,  we  will 
designate  as  "Standard  and  Customers'' 
Classmed*'*^'**  correspondence.  Write  the  names  of  cor- 
respondents in  the  "Standard  and  Cus- 
tomers" class  in  the  upper  right  corner  of  a  square 
cut  folder,  (Form  II),  with  the  name  of  their  town 
and  state  in  the  left  corner  and  file  the  folder  before 
the  town  guide,  or  if  you  do  not  adopt  the  town 
arrangement,  file  the  folder  in  front  of  the  alphabeti- 
cal sub-division  of  the  state.  If  a  concern's  correspond- 
ence becomes  heavy  enough,  give  it  a  folder  for  each 
month. 


REQUISITION  FOR  CORRESPONDENCE 
DATE 

, 

OATC 

SUBJECTS 

WITH 

\ 

^^ 

L^.^^/  -^ 

Fonn  VI 

All  "Miscellaneous"  correspondence  which  is  not 

worthy  of  name  or  folder  treatment,  should  be  filed. 

Use  of  the  provided  you   adopt   the   town   arrange- 

"Misceiia-  ment,  in  a  folder  marked  "Miscellaneous" 

neous"  Folder      ^^  ^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^^^^  ^^^  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^^^ 

town  and  state  in  the  left  corner,  see  Form  III,  and 
this  folder  should  be  filed  before  the  town  guide.  If 
you  adopt  the  state  arrangement  with  an  alphabet  for 
each  state,  this  correspondence  should  be  filed  in  a 
folder  marked  "Miscellaneous"  in  the  left  corner,  with 
the  sub-division  of  the  alphabet  corresponding  with 
U 


210 


BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 


the  guide  it  is  to  be  filed  with,  in  the  right  corner,  see 
Form  IV.  When  "Miscellaneous''  correspondence  be- 
comes heavy,  it  should  be  separated  into  folders  with 
months  written  upon  them,  see  Form  V.  Fix  upon  a 
number  of  letters  that  will  transform  a  "Miscellan- 
eous" correspondent  to  a  "Standard"  correspondent 
and  instruct  the  filing  clerk  to  be  governed  accordingly, 
while  the  correspondence  is  in  the  files. 


TMI«  II  TO  OCCUPY  TMC  PLACC  IN  riLt  f  ROM  WHICH  THC  CORRCS^NOCNCC  HAS  RCCN  WITM»RAWN 

nccoHD  or  connesPONOCNCt  withdrawn  from  filcs 

OATC 
«nTH  ORAWN 

CORRCSRONDCNCC 
FROM 

OATt 
or  COR. 

•UBJICT 

wrrMORAwn  RrrwRNco 

■V                      OATK 

^ 

U-''"^v^ 

r^ — -^^ 

y^ 

^^-^^^^ 

^"^^>v^ 

Form  Vn 

When  the  business  is  extensive  enough  to  warrant 
it,  use  the  printed  blank,  see  Form  VI,  for  a  requisition 
to  the  filing  clerk  for  correspondence  taken  away  from 
the  files,  and  Form  VII,  for  a  record  to  occupy  the 
place  in  the  files,  from  Avhich  correspondence  has  been 
withdrawn.  This  avoids  giving  the  impression  that 
correspondence  has  not  been  received  when  it  is  away 
from  the  files,  and  avoids  delay  and  loss  of  time,  in 
locating  it 


CHAPTER  XIX 
A  SYSTEM  FOR  HANDLING  CORRESPONDENCE 

BY  A  COMMITTEE  OF  EXPERTS 

I.     GENERAL  RULES 

1.  All  correspondence  is  to  be  filed  in  vertical 
drawer  files. 

2.  Folders  are  to  be  the  standard  9%xliy8  inches, 
seventy-pound  manila  folders,  with  %-inch  projecting 
tabs.  Guides  are  to  be  the  standard  9%xll%  inches 
240-pound  cardboard,  with  %-inch  projecting  tabs. 

3.  On  all  folders  must  be  stamped  with  rubber 
stamps  the  name  of  the  department  to  which  the  corre- 
spondence in  the  folder  belongs. 

4.  The  correspondence  of  the  company  is  to  be  filed 
in  three  divisions: 

The  correspondence  of  the  retail  department  is  to 
be  filed  alphabetically. 

The  correspondence  of  the  wholesale  department 
is  to  be  filed  geographically. 

The  correspondence  of  the  advertising  department 
is  to  be  filed  numerically. 

IL  ALPHABETICAL  FILES  OF  THE  RETAIL 
DEPARTMENT^ 

The  volume  of  correspondence  in  this  department 
would  seem  to  require  a  540-division  alphabetical  index. 

All  firms  or  individuals  with  whom  considerable 

•  The  alphabetical  method  of  filing  was  probably  recommended  for  this 
department  rather  than  the  geographical,  because  its  business  is  confined 
to  one  city,  and  rather  than  the  numerical,  inasmuch  as  its  correspondence 
teeludes  many  lionses.  but  is  probably  light  with  any  one  of  them.— JEditor. 

211 


212 


BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 


correspondence  is  carried  on  are  to  be  assigned  a  folder. 
This  folder  is  to  contain  on  the  projecting  edge  the 
year,  the  name  and  the  address  of  the  firm. 

The  correspondence  of  those  parties  in  each  di- 
vision of  the  index  with  whom  little  correspondence  is 
carried  on  is  to  be  included  in  the  miscellaneous  folder. 
The  miscellaneous  folder,  which  is  to  be  of  colored 
stock,  blue  by  preference,  is  to  contain  on  the  project- 
ing edge  the  word  "miscellaneous"  and  the  year. 

All  folders  concerning  correspondence  are  to  be 
filed  in  front  of  the  guide  for  that  division. 


Figure  I 

"Miscellaneous"  folders  are  to  be  filed  directly  in 
front  of  the  guide,  the  individual  folders  in  front  of 
the  "miscellaneous"  folder. 

III.     GEOGRAPHICAL   FILES   OF   WHOLESALE 
DEPARTMENT' 
State  guide  cards  are  to  serve  as  the  first  division. 
In  Figure  I  is  shown  the  arrangement  of  guides  and 


» The  geographical  arrangement  was  probably  used  in  this  case  for  the 
reason  that,  when  business  is  spread  over  a  large  territory,  it  is  of  great 
convenience  to  the  management  in  many  ways  to  have  the  correspondence. 
records  and  data  of  any  district  in  one  place.  As  far  as  locating  it  is  con- 
cerned, it  is  as  easy  to  find  letters  filed  by  this  plan  as  by  either  of  the 
others.— Editor. 


HANDLING    CORRESPONDENCE 


213 


folders.  As  in  the  alphabetical  index,  firms  with  which 
correspondence  is  heavy  are  to  have  individual  folders. 
On  the  projecting  edge  of  the  folder  is  to  be  written  the 
name  of  the  individual  or  firm,  the  town  and  the  state. 
These  folders  are  to  be  filed  in  alphabetical  order  in 
front  of  the  proper  state  guide,  according  to  towns. 
For  transient  correspondence  there  is  to  be  a  "mis- 
cellaneous" folder  filed  directly  in  front  of  the  state 
guide. 


Figure  II 

If  the  correspondence  for  any  town  is  large,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  insert  a  town  guide  in  front  of  the 
proper  state  guides;  the  correspondence  for  that  town 
will  then  be  filed  in  its  folders,  arranged  alphabetically, 
in  front  of  the  town  guide,  and  the  rest  of  the  corre- 
spondence for  that  state  back  of  this  town  guide.  If 
there  are  two  or  more  town  guides  inserted  in  front  of 
a  single  state  guide,  they  should  be  filed  with  refer- 
ence to  one  another  in  alphabetical  order. 


214 


BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 


IV.     NUMERICAL  FILES  OF  THE  ADVERTISING 
DEPARTMENT' 

Each  correspondent  is  to  have  a  folder  bearing  a 
consecutive  number  of  a  series  which  progresses  by 
units.  The  number  is  to  be  indicated  on  the  project- 
ing edge  of  the  folder.  In  case  the  correspondence  is 
so  heavy  that  the  folder  becomes  full  before  the  regular 
time  of  transfer,  two  or  more  folders  bearing  the  same 
number  may  be  used.     Upon  each  folder  will  then  be 


UANN  «  COMPANY 


itZ  ALSO  6.    A.   U/JiH 


Form  III 

written  the  months  whose  correspondence  that  folder 
contains  (Figure  II). 

Guides  are  to  be  numbered  by  tens.  The  first  four 
cuts  of  one-fifth  the  cut  guides  are  to  be  used.  All 
folders  are  to  be  filed  in  front  of  the  ten  which  follows 
their  unit,  as,  for  example,  folders  21  to  30  will  be  filed 
in  front  of  guide  30. 

« The  advertising  department  of  a  house  usually  does  business  with  con- 
cerns scattered  irregularly  over  the  country.  It  corresponds  with  rela- 
tively few  people,  but  its  correspondence  is  usually  large  and  permanent 
with  each  of  them.  It  was  doubtless  these  considerations  that  led  to  the 
recommendation  of  this  method  of  filing  for  the  advertising  department  — 
Oditor 


HANDLING    CORRESPONDENCE 


216 


V.    INDEXING    THE    NUMERICAL    ARRANGE- 
MENT 

The  names  of  the  correspondents  on  the  numerical 
files  are  to  be  indexed  alphabetically  by  a  card  index. 
Cards  of  two  colors,  as  white  and  salmon,  are  to  be 
used,  filed  with  index  cards  of  buff  or  blue.  White 
cards  are  to  be  used  to  indicate  the  names  of  corpora- 
tions, firms,  partnerships  (Form  III).  Salmon  cards 
are  to  be  used  to  indicate  the  names  of  individuals  con- 
nected with  partnerships   (Form  IV).     Each  card  is 


0.   A.  HANK 


15 


S£E  ALSO  NO.  35  CATALOGUE 


SEE  ALSO  NAKN  ft  COHPANY 


Form  IV 

to  bear  in  its  upper  right-hand  corner  the  number  of 
the  folder  containing  the  correspondence  to  which  it 
refers. 

Correspondents  are  to  be  cross-indexed  as  follows  i 
Jones  &  Co.  of  Jonesborough,  Ark.,  have  connected  with 
their  firm  John  Jones,  Frank  Smith,  Henry  Brown. 
A  white  card  will  be  made  out  for  Jones  &  Co.  as  showD 
in  Form  III. 

John  Jones,  Frank  Smith,  Henry  Brown  will  each 
be  indexed  on  a  salmon  card,  as  indicated  in  Form  IV. 

The  correspondence  of  the  individuals  connected 


416 


BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 


with  the  firm  is  always  to  be  filed  in  the  same  folder  as 
the  regular  correspondence  of  the  firm.  The  cross-index 
cards  of  these  individuals  will  show  who  these  firms  are 
and  where  their  correspondence  is  filed. 

The  clerk  who  cares  for  the  index  file  should  use 
care  to  catch  all  names  of  new  individuals  connected 
with  corporations,  companies,  partnerships,  etc.,  and  to 
make  cross-index  cards  for  them  promptly. 

VI.  TRANSFERRING  CORRESPONDENCE 

All  correspondence  is  to  be  transferred  once  each 
year.     In  the  alphabetical  files,  new  folders  are  to  be 


DATE 

REQUISITION  FOR  CORRESPONDENCE 

OATC 

SUBJECTS 

WITH 

\ 

=^^ 

u^^^^ 

Form  V 

provided  on  the  first  of  January  of  each  year,  and  all 
correspondence  for  the  current  year  is  to  be  filed  in 
the  new  indexes.  The  old  folders  are  to  remain  in  the 
cases  until  July  1.  On  this  date  all  of  the  past  year's 
correspondence  is  to  be  transferred  to  transfer  cases  or 
other  convenient  files.  This  plan  leaves  at  least  six 
months'  correspondence  in  the  files  at  all  times  for 
reference. 

The  numerical  transfer  is  to  be  effected  in  similar 
manner;  new  folders  are  to  be  provided  on  the  first  of 
January  for  the  correspondence  of  the  coming  year, 


HANDLING    CORRESPONDENCE  217 

and  each  is  to  be  inserted  directly  behind  the  folder 
containing  the  previous  year's  correspondence.  The 
current  year  will  be  stamped  on  the  index  card  at  the 
time  the  new  folder  is  inserted.  For  example,  Jones  & 
Co.,  who  are  No.  25,  have  been  in  correspondence  with 
the  firm  during  1904.  As  soon  as  a  letter  is  received 
after  the  first  of  January,  1905,  a  new  folder  numbered 
No.  25  will  be  placed  directly  behind  the  one  for  the 
previous  year  in  the  same  file.  "1905"  is  stamped  on 
the  index  card  at  the  same  time.  On  the  first  of  July 
all  of  the  folders  for  the  previous  year  are  taken  out 
and  filed  numerically,  as  before,  in  transfer  cases. 

VII.     HANDLING   OF    UNFILED    CORRESPOND- 
ENCE 

Each  person  in  the  office  is  to  be  assigned  a  num- 
ber; for  example,  Mr.  George  1,  Mr.  Williams  2,  Mr. 
Roberts  3.  The  correspondence  is  to  be  opened  by  the 
incoming  mail  clerk,  who  will  sort  the  correspondence 
for  the  different  departments  into  baskets  or  trays, 
placing  upon  the  upper  right-hand  corner  of  each  letter 
the  number  of  the  correspondent  to  whom  the  mail  is 
to  be  referred.  If  a  letter  has  to  be  referred  to  more 
than  one  correspondent,  the  numbers  of  all  the  several 
correspondents  are  to  be  indicated  on  the  letter  by  the 
incoming  mail  clerk,  the  numbers  of  the  correspondents 
appearing  on  the  letter  in  the  order  in  which  they  are 
to  be  delivered.  Each  correspondent,  as  he  answers 
letters  referred  to  his  department,  is  to  place  his  ini- 
tials over  his  number.  If  he  wishes  to  refer  letters  to 
departments  which  have  not  been  indicated  by  the  in- 
coming mail  clerk,  he  is  to  do  so  by  indicating  the 
number  in  the  same  manner  as  the  mail  clerk  would  do. 


218  BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

Each  correspondent  is  to  have  about  his  desk  three 
baskets  or  receptacles  for  holding  mail,  plainly  marked 
**New  Mail,"  "File"  and  "Messenger,"  respectively. 
The  new  correspondence  delivered  him  by  the  incoming 
mail  clerk  will  be  placed  in  the  "New  Mail"  basket. 
Correspondence  which  he  has  attended  to  and  which  is 
ready  for  filing  the  correspondent  is  to  place  in  the 
"File"  basket,  from  which  it  will  be  gathered  and  de- 
livered to  the  filing  clerk  by  office  boys  periodically 
during  the  day.  Letters  which  the  correspondent 
wishes  to  refer  to  some  other  person  or  department  he 
is  to  place  in  the  "Messenger"  basket,  whose  contents 
will  be  collected  periodically,  sorted  and  redelivered. 

The  incoming  mail  clerk  is  to  keep  a  record  of  let- 
ters received  by  counting  the  envelopes.  The  envelopes 
are  to  be  preserved  until  the  mail  is  opened  and  dis- 
tributed. Then  the  clerk  is  to  search  these  envelopes 
to  make  sure  that  no  enclosures  have  been  overlooked, 
counting  them  at  the  same  time,  and  checking  with 
the  previous  count.    Afterwards  they  may  be  destroyed. 

VIII.     HANDLING     OF     FILED     CORRESPOND- 
ENCE 

No  corresponaence  is  to  be  taken  from  the  files 
except  by  the  person  or  persons  in  charge  of  the  files 
under  any  consideration.  The  correspondence  which  is 
already  filed  and  is  desired  for  reference  can  be  secured 
only  by  a  requisition,  signed  by  the  correspondent  or 
person  desiring  it.  The  slip  shown  in  Form  V  is  a 
convenient  form  of  requisition.  The  filing  clerk  files 
these  requisitions  alphabetically,  according  to  the  name 
of  the  individual  or  firm  whose  correspondence  has  been 
withdrawn.    The  clerk  should  see  to  it  that  the  dates 


HANDLING    COKRESPONDENCE  219 

of  the  specific  letters  withdrawn  are  entered  on  the 
requisition ;  if  the  whole  folder  is  taken  out,  it  should 
be  so  indicated. 

Letters  which  go  out  on  requisitions  are  to  be 
stamped  by  the  filing  clerk  with  a  rubber  stamp  "Out 
on  Requisition.  Date  — ,"  entering  the  date  with- 
drawn. This  is  necessary  in  order  to  notify  the  clerk 
when  these  letters  are  returned  to  her  with  fresh  let- 
ters to  be  filed ;  that  these  are  requisitioned  letters  and 
that  she  must,  therefore,  withdraw  the  requisition  from 
the  file  and  destroy  it. 

The  filing  clerk  should  run  through  her  requisitions 
periodically  and  send  a  follow-up  to  correspondents 
who  have  held  out  mail  for  some  time,  to  see  that  they 
are  not  keeping  it  needlessly  long.  The  individual  to 
whom  letters  have  been  delivered  on  requisition  is  held 
responsible  for  them  until  returned  to  the  file.  In  case 
he  wishes  to  send  these  letters  to  another  person  or  de- 
partment, he  should  fill  out  a  slip  giving  the  names  and 
dates  of  these  letters,  and  place  this  in  his  "File'^ 
basket.  This  slip  will  come  to  the  file  clerk,  who  will 
then  make  the  proper  change  on  her  requisition  slip. 
The  files  should  indicate  at  all  times  the  location  of 
correspondence.  The  letters  themselves  the  correspond- 
ent places  in  the  ''Messenger"  basket,  from  which  they 
are  gathered  up  and  delivered  to  the  proper  person. 

IX.     INSTRUCTIONS  TO  STENOGRAPHERS 

Stenographers  are  to  make  carbon  copies  of  all  let- 
ters written.  Carbons  of  letters  written  in  reply  to 
other  letters  are  to  be  -gittached  to  the  letters  to  which 
they  reply ;  wherever  practicable,  they  may  be  made  on 
reverse  side  of  correspondence  received.    It  is  essential 


220  BUSINESS   CORRESPONDENCE 

that  this  be  done  by  the  stenographer  and  not  be  left 
for  the  file  clerk  to  do.  The  stenographer  must  be  sure 
that  the  company,  corporation,  or  partnership  name 
appears  on  the  carbon  copy  in  writing  to  individuals 
connected  with  the  same,  even  if  it  has  to  be  written 
on  after  the  original  is  written.  Stenographers  should 
use  care  in  noting,  when  replying  to  letters,  whether 
parties  to  whom  reply  is  being  made  request  the  reply 
to  refer  to  their  file  number  or  a  certain  department, 
and  should  comply  with  their  request.  File  numbers 
and  departments  may  be  easily  referred  to  by  placing 
them  in  parenthesis  in  the  center  of  the  page  above  the 
body  of  the  letter.  Attention  to  these  details  will 
greatly  assist  in  securing  prompt  attention  to  letters 
from  the  parties  to  whom  they  are  written. 

X.  INSTRUCTIONS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS 

If  a  letter  does  not  plainly  indicate  under  what 
name  it  is  to  be  filed,  or  if  the  correspondent  wishes  the 
letter  filed  under  some  other  name  than  that  of  the 
writer,  he  should  plainly  indicate  his  wish  by  ringing 
with  heavy  pencil  mark  the  name  under  which  the  let- 
ter is  to  be  filed. 

The  correspondent  should  take  care  that  no  letters 
are  sent  to  the  file  until  his  initials  are  placed  over  the 
number;  if  they  are  not  there,  letters  will  always  be 
returned  to  him  by  the  filing  clerk. 

Each  correspondent  should  be  sure  to  refer  the 
date  of  the  letter  to  which  he  replies.  He  should  in- 
struct his  stenographer  to  see  that  the  date  of  the  let- 
ter to  which  he  replies  occurs  on  the  carbon  copy,  if 
he  neglects  to  refer  to  it  himself  in  dictating.  This  is 
essential  to  rapid  and  easy  reference,  both  for  the  filing 


HANDLING    CORRESPONDENCE  221 

clerk  an^  correspondent,  and  also  for  the  parties  with 
whom  correspondence  is  being  carried  on. 

XI.     INSTRUCTIONS   TO   FILING   CLERKS 

All  unfiled  correspondence  for  the  numerical  files 
will  be  marked  with  the  number  of  the  folder  in  which 
it  belongs.  It  will  be  a  convenience  to  circle  the  num- 
ber with  a  large  ring,  and  the  file  clerk  who  so  marks 
the  correspondence  should  place  his  initials  below  the 
number,  so  that  errors  in  marking  correspondence  may 
be  traced.  For  the  same  reason,  if  two  or  more  persons 
are  doing  the  filing  each,  as  letters  are  filed,  should 
place  his  initials  on  the  lower  right-hand  corner  of  each 
letter. 

File  all  letters  on  the  left-hand  edge,  filing  with  the 
face  of  the  letter  toward  the  front  of  the  file.  If  on 
account  of  inconvenient  shape  it  is  easier  to  file  on  the 
bottom  of  the  letter  than  the  left-hand  side,  do  so, 
but  see  that  the  face  of  the  letter  is  in  all  cases  toward 
the  front  of  the  file.  Letters  should  be  filed  in  chrono- 
logical order,  beginning  at  the  back  of  the  folder  and 
working  toward  the  front  as  it  stands  in  the  file.  If 
this  method  is  pursued,  when  a  correspondent  opens  a 
folder  he  will  find  the  last  letter  written  on  top  and 
each  letter  according  to  date  underneath,  in  order.  File 
no  correspondence  until  the  correspondent  or  his  sten- 
ographer has  crossed  off  the  number  on  the  sheet  by  his 
initials.  Do  not  guess  that  the  letter  has  been  taken 
care  of,  but  return  it  in  every  instance. 

A  filing  clerk  who  is  thoroughly  reliable  should  be 
selected  by  the  office  manager ;  he  should  be  thoroughly 
posted,  and  made  absolutely  responsible  for  the  cod 
dition  of  the  files  at  all  times. 


7 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subjea  to  immediate  recaU. 


:^ 


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REC'D  LD 


MAR  31 '65 -5  PM 


LD  21A-60m-3.'65 
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General  Library 
University  of  California 

Berkeley 


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>'B  18490 


